A short analogy
I'd like to tell you about a very strange apartment.
This apartment has many, many rooms.
Some rooms are tiny, some are huge.
At any given time, this apartment has many people living inside it.
Most of the time, these people get along well.
From time to time, a few of them bicker with each other.
Sometimes they like to compete with each other.
Some people stay for a very short time, and others are long-term renters.
There's no application process to get in.
People just come and stay as they please, it isn't really controlled.
Two more things I'll tell you about this strange apartment.
First, unlike normal rental agreements, in the case of this apartment, the landlord actually pays the tenants money to rent space.
The money paid by the landlord is based on the duration of stay and the size of room rented.
The longer the stay, the larger the room, the higher the money paid in rent.
The second thing about this strange apartment ... you are the landlord.
A short reflection
The apartment is your mind.
The people renting space are your thoughts.
The money you're paying is your attention.
This little visualization was derived from a question that I have absolutely fallen in love with:
What's taking up space in your mind right now?
My wife and I ask each other this often. I've started asking colleagues this. Friends too.
The answers are fascinating. Sometimes there are a lot of things, but the most interesting are the high-cost renters.
There are often a few of them, and they typically make for the most rich conversation.
A follow-up question that I'll leave you with:
The money you're paying to those high-cost renters, is it worth it?
