We live in a society with lots of noise. I am not talking about hearing a loud piece of construction equipment, I am referring to things that vie for our attention. In the early days of the internet, sites would use flashing icons or pictures that moved with animation. It was like walking down broadway at night time. This flash and panache seemed like a great idea. People at first were drawn to it, yet, research quickly showed that people would leave such a site quickly. We discovered that overstimulation from the website was too much and became fatigued by the “noise”. The same thing is happening on our phones today. People are actually taking periods of time away from their phones to go for a walk, have dinner without interruptions or just listen to the sounds of nature. Like the early web pages we are learning that being “connected” 24 hours a day comes with a price tag; it is called peace of mind. I have times of the day where I completely turn off my phone. If you have tried this there is something very liberating and strange at the same time about this action. One thing that you might find is how many times you are tempted to reach for your phone in an hour. Try something this weekend, remove something that makes noise or tries to keep your attention. Turn off the television for one hour, turn off your phone for a pre-determined time, sit outside for a few minutes and watch and listen. Remove some of the noise from your life, even if only for a brief spell. You will be pleasantly surprised what you hear when the noise is gone.