Show Transcript

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I understand that what I'm about to tell you to do today is totally contradictory

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to what you're doing right now.

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But here's the little secret. You don't have to stop tuning in to this podcast,

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which, matter of fact, I hope you continue to tune in every week,

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twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday when new episodes are released.

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But everything else, I'm encouraging you to forget about it.

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Because today we are talking about a summertime digital detox.

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Yes, we are talking about unplugging from tech so that we can plug in to life.

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So my friend, set the phone aside, grab a pool float, and let's dive in.

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This is episode 299.

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Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days,

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they're just doors to better days. And that's exactly what we do here at Grit,

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Grace, and Inspiration.

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Your host, Kevin Lowe, he's been flipping the script on his own life,

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turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight up inspiration,

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motivation, and encouragement just for you.

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So kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

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Now, my friend, I fully understand that I'm going places with today's episode.

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That may leave you feeling a little comfortable, a little irritated,

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because you might be thinking this is slightly ridiculous.

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And I guess, well, that depends on what generation you come from or on how addicted

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you are to your mobile device.

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But I can't help but feel as though we're in this perfect time of year,

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the summer, For us to remember what it's like when we close the laptop,

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when we turn off the phone, and we just remember what it's like to live when

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we're not behind a screen.

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I mean, let's face it. Our world today is lived behind a screen.

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It's our computers at work. It's our phones every other time of day.

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It's our laptops when we're sitting in the living room at night watching TV.

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We're constantly in a world consumed by digital devices.

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It's rings and dings and Facebook and Instagram. It's everything consuming our life.

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And I can't help but think maybe we're doing it all wrong.

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I mean, yeah, I love technology just as much as anybody, especially being blind.

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I mean, technology makes my life possible. But at the same point,

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I also realized that it can really be a hindrance.

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It can really take away us getting to live life the way it was meant to be.

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So today, I want you to just think, what would it be like if life was like it

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used to be, back before all of these digital devices took over our world?

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And what if we also gave ourselves space to dream, to believe that anything we want is possible?

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And maybe there are certain limitations, but I believe it's all possible.

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You just have to start. And a perfect starting point, well, that's my Sizzling

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Summer Special, where I'm offering free coaching all summer long.

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Yes, you can sign up for a free 30-minute one-on-one deep dive coaching session

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where me and you, we can map out what's going on in your life.

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Figure out what's standing in the way, where you're going, all the things.

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This is a coaching session tailored specifically for you.

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All you have to do to grab your free spot is to text SUMMER2024,

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that is all one word, no spaces,

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SUMMER2024 to the phone number 33777.

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Again, that is 33777. And I will give you a link to my online calendar where

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you can get that book ASAP. AP.

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Remember, summer isn't forever and spaces are limited. So be sure that you grab

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your spot while they are still available.

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Now, before we continue, I think it's probably important for us to get straight

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on what I'm talking about when I say a summertime digital detox.

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Because when I hear detox, I think, wow, that sounds a little bit intense,

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a little scary, and I promise it is none None of the such.

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My version of a summertime detox, it doesn't mean that you're slaring off all

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forms of technology and living like you're in the pioneer days. No way.

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It's instead about being intentional, about setting aside moments throughout

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the day when you set the tech aside, when you just focus on the here and now.

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Because the whole point in this is for you to get to remember what it's like

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to live in the moment, to be with your family, to soak up right now.

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Now, we are so focused so many of the times on capturing pictures,

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taking videos that we have to post on Instagram or Facebook,

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or just to have in the phone's library for us to go back to later.

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And yeah, I'm not saying that any of that is wrong, but I can't help believe

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that it's taking away from us living in the moment.

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And that's what this is all about. out. It's making the most of every single

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day, every single moment we're given.

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Nothing in this life is guaranteed. Not today, not tomorrow.

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And so it is so vital that we make the most of right now.

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And that is honestly what this whole idea is about.

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So I think the first step for us to do now is to figure out how can we prepare

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to do this summertime digital detox?

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What does it look like? Like, what does it feel like and how in the world do

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we get geared up to do such a thing as turning our phone off?

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Yes, I know it's scary just thinking about it.

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First and foremost, get clear on what you want out of this digital detox. Set some boundaries.

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How long do you want to do it for? Do you hope that it becomes something that's

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part of your life, not just for this time period in the summer?

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Come up with some intentions.

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Maybe you just want to be sure that every morning and every evening,

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your day begins with an hour free of technology, free of the noise, free of the scroll.

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Whatever you want, it's up to you.

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I just encourage you to go ahead and set those boundaries, set those expectations

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so that you know what you're in for.

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I encourage you to plan what I call in the moment activities.

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That means those moments when you're fully embraced in the moment,

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you're with your family, you're with your friends, or maybe you're just by yourself,

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but you're living in the moment.

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You're paying attention to those around you, to the environment,

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to the scenery you're focusing on now and not endlessly scrolling through Facebook or Instagram,

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looking at everything else that everybody else is doing.

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No, I want you to be the person doing the thing.

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Excellent idea is deciding on what we're going to call some tech-free zones.

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So maybe that could be the dining room table.

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Maybe you want to finally get the

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family to have dinner together without everybody sitting on their phone.

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Now, I get it. Us adults, we're just as bad as the children,

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but it's something to try. We're giving this a shot.

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So set maybe the dining room table. Every Every night, no phones allowed.

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And maybe the other thing is maybe the bedroom. Maybe you just want your bedroom

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to be what it was meant to be.

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A place of rest, of relaxation, of breaking away from all the noise.

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It's up to you. But I encourage you, if it could help, set some locations.

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Where are these places going to be where no tech is allowed? out.

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Like somebody on detox from something like smoking or drinking, perhaps,

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they tell people to come up with some hobbies, some things to occupy their mind,

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to get them off of thinking about the thing that they're thinking about.

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I encourage you to do the same.

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Think of some hobbies, some different things that you can do for fun that don't involve your phone.

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It's you getting outside, maybe starting a garden.

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Maybe, I don't know, crocheting, baking.

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I remember during the pandemic, the sourdough bread was a massive craze. Maybe you give it a shot.

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Whatever it is, just focus on some little hobbies, some different things that

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you can do that you enjoy and they don't involve the phone.

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And my last little tip is just to try your best at setting aside what I'm going

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to call mindful moments.

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Moments that you can just sit and you can rest and you can be,

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but you don't pick up your phone.

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You allow yourself to think, to dream, to wonder, to watch and listen,

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to be present in the moment, to pay attention to your surroundings.

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Surroundings, let your mind wander, let your mind think, instead of filling

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it full of all this crap that we find on our phones.

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So if those are a little step to help us prepare, but what is it all for? What are the benefits?

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Why am I encouraging you to do this in the first place?

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Well, basically, you can say, we're helping you to clear your mind,

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reduce anxiety, and totally reduce stress in your life.

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When you turn off the notifications, when you turn off the rings and the dings

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of the alarms, you are going to be amazed at how much calmer you are.

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We think that we like the notifications that our apps make because,

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ooh, there's something new for us to look at. But we're actually just training

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ourselves to always be on alert, to always be waiting for the next little sound to go off.

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When you don't have that, it allows your mind to be at rest, to be at peace.

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You might actually understand, wow, this is pretty darn nice.

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It's also to maybe help prioritize your physical health.

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Getting outside, that's kind of one of the big goals of this whole thing.

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Is to set aside the phone and have you interacting with the outdoors,

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with your family, getting out there and playing and having a good time,

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whatever that looks like for you.

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And all that's going to do is not only are you completing this little digital detox,

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but you're also just leading to a healthier life, a healthier you,

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helping you to just be out in life, which is going to do amazing things for you.

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Then, of course, there's the massive emotional boost to your own well-being.

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Disconnecting from screens and connecting with the real world can only boost

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your mood and honestly lead to you smiling more than you probably have in a really long time.

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Because I don't know if you're like most people I know, but most people,

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when they're on their phones and they're endlessly scrolling through Facebook,

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they're typically talking about all the things that they don't like.

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It's somebody posted this and you're saying this about them.

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Are you wishing you were in their life?

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Always thinking about the other person, always ruining who you are, what you're doing.

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If we set that aside, well, now you just get to focus on you and that's what matters.

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And of course, the biggest bonus to you for participating in the Summertime

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Detox is for you to get to spend more time with your family and friends when not behind a screen.

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I'm talking about good quality time when you're all sitting around and you're

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actually talking and laughing and you're fully present.

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You don't have a phone in your hand. You're not worried about a text message coming through.

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No, you're literally present. You're soaking in every single moment of every person you're with.

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That is being present in the moment.

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The relationships that you are

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going to enhance over this summertime detox are going to be Incredible.

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I encourage you maybe to plan a camping trip with a family, to do a bonfire

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with some friends, maybe do a day at the beach or a day out at the lake.

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Whatever your style, whatever your jam, do something where the phones, they aren't there.

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The distractions, they aren't available.

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Leave your phone in the car. Do whatever you have to do to disconnect disconnect

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from that piece of technology.

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And I know it's going to be tough. Trust me, we're addicted to these things.

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You're going to be worried. But what if this happens? What if somebody needs

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me? What if the world is falling apart?

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Well, I don't know. It makes you wonder, how did it all work before we had all of this technology?

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Did the world fall apart? Did people need you and not be able to reach you?

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Or did things get figured out?

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Most likely, things were able to get figured out.

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And again, I'm not talking about this being a super long time.

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I'm talking about you just putting it down for a little bit while you're actually

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doing the activity so that you can really enjoy it.

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So basically, my friend, it's really that simple.

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I'm just encouraging you to take advantage of this idea of doing a summertime digital detox.

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Share it with your friends. Talk about it with your family. Get people excited about it.

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Now, Now, I understand, especially if you're talking to the younger generations,

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they're going to be like, no way, Jose, this is ridiculous. This is stupid.

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But I encourage you to try to see if you can't entice them, not by the fact

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that they have to get rid of their phones.

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No, the fact that you guys are going to go do this or that, that's super exciting to them instead.

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And then the reality is, most likely, even if they didn't jump on board with

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this whole idea, if you get them outside doing something fun that they're excited about,

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I guarantee you naturally, they're going to forget all about their phone.

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That's the power of this. It's getting out and living and loving life.

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So with that, I encourage you to get out there, to stay unplugged,

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and instead, stay plugged in with life.

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My friend, I'm Kevin Lowe, your host of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration. Enjoy life.

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Music.