Do you know how long it takes for sunlight to reach the planet Earth?
Even traveling at the remarkable speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second,it takes more than 8 minutes from the time light is released from the sun’s surface to reach our humble planet, power our solar panels, nourish our plants, or tan our skin.
What really blows my mind about this is the realization that when we look out and see the sun, we’re not actually looking at the latest and greatest version of the sun.We’re looking at sunlight that’s 8+ minutes old! You know what that means, right? The sun could have literally exploded -Boom! – and we wouldn’t know about it for 8 solid minutes.
Last week we established that every business problem is a people problem and I elaborated on The Horizon Theory, the first of two theories to explain why people problems are so challenging. The Horizon Theory established we can’t really know as much as we think we do and new information requires action and movement. The second theory I call the Sunlight Theory.
We want to believe that we are masterful creatures, so conscious and aware and present in the moment. Many of us even pride ourselves on our ability to read people and think and act on the fly. While there is certainly truth in those gifts, the fact remains that we are so often reacting in the present to the past.
Consider this. It’s one of those ‘bad days’ — you know the one. You sleep through your alarm. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed. The kids make a mess at breakfast. You spill coffee on your white shirt just as you leave the house.And pretty much every turn says you should have climbed into a hole and rode out the day in hibernation. It’s the kind of stuff you carry with you for the rest of the day! But you suck it up, face reality and hop in the car to make the best of it. Then, wouldn’t you know it, someone cuts you off on your commute! Oh man!!! How many other things can go wrong?! And you gripe about that guy, wondering how he ever got a license and why the police are never around when you need them! You are still fuming about that guy when you get to the office and you tell everyone about him.
Ooooh, boy, is THAT the worst!
But is it?
What if you wake up feeling great? You wake up before the alarm. Breakfast is delicious. You’re having a great hair day. You love your outfit. Your kids are the angels you always dreamed them to be. You feel ready for that big meeting coming up at10am. And then — someone cuts you off on your commute. Well, at least I am telling you now that it happened, but truth be told? You barely even notice.
What’s different?
Good mood vs. bad mood?
How you woke up?
Your kids?
Certainly those are things are different, but there things that are the same as well, and to those you react differently.
In the first scenario, you’re not reacting to the guy cutting you off. If you were, you would have noticed and reacted to the same guy in the second scenario. In either case, you’re not reacting to the guy, you’re reacting to everything else leading up to the encounter! 8.5 minute old sunlight. We so very often react to what was rather then what is.
When we see “Bob” heading down the hall at work and we get all tense and frustrated because “Bob” is always complaining about something, we aren’t reacting to the present, we are reacting to our past experiences of “Bob.” That’s the Sunlight Theory.
Being present means you are aware of the past, the choices you have already unconsciously made, and the experiences that are driving your emotions. When you become aware of those elements you are truly in a position to choose to respond to the moment instead of reacting to the past. Use your past for knowledge, insight and wisdom, not conclusions. Our present is always influenced by our past and what looks new is likely 8 minute old sunlight. If we can can keep that reality top-of-mind present, we can change the world.
