Pinstripes, Pay-Per-View & Purpose: Why Our Distracted Minds Are Costing Us the Game

“Why do the Yankees always win?”
“‘Cause they have Mickey Mantle?”
“No, it’s ’cause the other teams can’t stop staring at those damn pinstripes.”

- Frank Abagnale Sr., Catch Me if You Can

This quote from one of my favourite movies is quite interesting as it’s very reflective of the state of play in the world today.

Not being able to keep their eyes off the pinstripes means that the other teams are too distracted, so can’t focus on playing the game properly.

And it’s absolutely our reality today. We can’t win this game where the odds are already stacked against us because we’re so bloody distracted.

Forget the usual suspects, our phones and our jobs and our never-ending notifications from the abundance of apps. That’s already hard enough.

Even if you do have your wits about you and you are able to limit these distractions to an acceptable level, there’s another trap, another distraction or ten rearing their ugly head around the corner.

Whatever your age, whatever your platform of choice, the distraction demons WILL try and get you.

Just take the last week for example.

On TV, all eyes have been on the missing submarine. It’s obviously very sad news and a horrible way to die. But the media coverage has been round-the-clock. It’s apparently public interest, there are…