BY JEFF CORBETT

Glenn van Eckeren tells a story about a shady motorcyclist at the Canadian border seeking to cross into the U.S. On the back of the bike were two saddlebags loaded down with rocks.

The border patrol searched the rocks, and the rest of the bike, but after finding nothing suspicious, they let him through. A couple of weeks later, he showed up again, his motorcycle again loaded with rocks, which they searched to no avail before allowing him to pass.

After several more times, the guards’ curiosity got the best of them, and they said, “We know you are up to something, smuggling something, but it’s always just rocks. Tell us what you’re doing and we promise not to arrest you.”

“It’s very simple,” the smiling man replied, “I’m smuggling motorcycles.”

Blinded By Distraction

As the guard in the story illustrate, human nature tricks you into seeing the unusual and the exceptional even as you take your eyes off the obvious.

So what gets in the way of you seeing the obvious? Distractions, of course!

Stop a moment and think of the many sources of distraction that tempt you. It’s a constant battle to stay focused on whatever you’re doing. What’s the biggest distraction for you?

Let’s consider some of the most prevalent.

Digital Distractions

Harvard Health says your smartphone, social media, and constant notifications are major culprits in hijacking your attention.

According to a January 2025 report by Reviews.com, “the average American checks their phone 205 times a day, or almost once every five minutes while we’re awake.” That’s a 42% increase in 2024 over 2023.

Are you one of the 80% of us who check their phones within the first ten minutes of waking up, and do you, like 50% of your fellow Americans, sleep with your phone?

Reviews.com also found that:
♦ 66% of us use our cellphones in the bathroom (you know who you are);
♦ 40% have worry, anxiety, or panic when their phone dips below 20% power;
♦ 76% check their phones within five minutes of receiving a “ding” or notification, including some who stop to check in the middle of a conversation with someone else;
♦ 54% have texted someone in the same room;
♦ On average, we now spend 5 hours and 1 minute per day on our phones, about 20% of your day; and
♦ 43% consider themselves “addicted” to their phones.

I share these statistics with you to set up this question: In your relationship with your phone, who is the master and who is the servant?

I am not saying either you or your phone is bad; rather the question is, are you diminishing and missing out on other joys in your life, and are you closer to your phone than to your family, friends, and colleagues?

Distracted Driving

You or people you know who are reading or sending texts while driving are at a dangerous likelihood of accidents and significant physical harm.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, “Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”

If you love your life, family, and friends, please think twice if you are guilty of this. Trust me, nothing is that important to speed up your last day on earth.

Are You a Multi-Tasker?

We praise multi-tasking like a badge of honor, but the brain doesn’t truly multi-task—it very rapidly switches between tasks, and every switch requires your brain to reorient.

To you devout multi-taskers, hear me out. There are nuances here. According to the Cleveland Clinic: “When our brain is constantly switching gears to bounce back and forth between tasks – especially when those tasks are complex and require our active attention – we become less efficient and more likely to make a mistake.”

Here’s the nuance: The negatives of multitasking “might not be as apparent or impactful when we’re doing tasks that are simple and routine, like listening to music while walking, or folding laundry while watching TV.

“But when the stakes are higher and the tasks are more complex, trying to multitask can negatively impact our lives – or even be dangerous.”

Lastly, the Cleveland Clinic notes that ”studies suggest that people who frequently ‘media multitask’ (like listening to music while checking email or scrolling through social media while watching a movie) are more distracted and less able to focus their attention even when they’re performing only one task.”

Focusing on a single, high-impact task allows for deeper engagement, better results, and much less distraction.

Remember that focus isn’t about just doing one thing—it’s about choosing what deserves your full presence.

Be Aware, Everywhere!

It takes continuous awareness and mindful purpose to see what others do not, while you intentionally prevent distractions from hijacking your brain and blinding you from opportunities.

Take Clarence Birdseye, who revolutionized the food industry with his fool-proof way of freezing foods while retaining full flavor.

Young Birdseye had quit Amherst College and taken a job as a field naturalist with the U.S. Biological Survey. He was sent to the Arctic North to study Native Americans and do some fur trapping on the side.

One day, while watching Eskimos fishing, he saw how they would throw the fish they caught onto the Arctic ice, where the harsh winds and sub-zero temperatures would flash-freeze their catch. Weeks and months later, it tasted as good as fresh-caught.

Birdseye parlayed this flash-frozen concept into a company that he later sold in 1929 for $22 million dollars (over $358 million in today’s dollars), all from a casual observation watching Eskimos fish, and putting two-plus-two together.

You have similar moments of opportunity in your life, too, but you’ve gotta wake up and notice them!

Your Daily Gifts

Live with a mindfulness of how rich the basic things in your life are, of how gifted and blessed you are and are meant to be, if only you recognize the simple, humble packages opportunity wraps itself in.

Life lays opportunities at your feet every day, but you may be distracted, looking for more glamorous ways to fast riches, or not thinking at all.

As Emerson noted, “The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.”

Please make the most of today and every day.

“Be ready when opportunity comes,” Trudeau advised. “Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.”

Jeff Corbett is an experienced public speaker, meeting facilitator and sales and marketing professional. He lives in Statesville. He can be reached at jeff@speak-well.com.