Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus
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0:15 - 0:19I would like to ask everyone
in this beautiful, beautiful audience, -
0:19 - 0:21just like he said,
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0:22 - 0:25When and have you ever -
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0:25 - 0:26think back to your childhood -
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0:26 - 0:29have you ever been taught formally
how to pay attention? -
0:29 - 0:31I'm talking somebody sat you down, said,
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0:31 - 0:33"Step 1. Step 2. Step 3.
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0:33 - 0:35This is how you pay attention."
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0:35 - 0:37I'd like a show of hands
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0:37 - 0:39if you who were formally taught
how to pay attention -
0:39 - 0:41when you were a child.
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0:41 - 0:43(Laughter)
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0:45 - 0:48Now, for those of you who are wondering,
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0:48 - 0:50What in the world did he just say?
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0:50 - 0:53and who are thinking
about who's the next presenter -
0:53 - 0:56or did I actually put deodorant on today?
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0:56 - 0:58(Laughter)
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0:59 - 1:00You're like me.
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1:01 - 1:02As you can see.
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1:02 - 1:03You are like me.
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1:03 - 1:04Oh my goodness.
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1:04 - 1:08I struggled and I still struggle
with paying attention. -
1:08 - 1:09And I tell you what,
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1:09 - 1:12I'm going to take you back
to that elementary school era. -
1:12 - 1:14Do you remember the coat closet?
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1:14 - 1:16This time of year,
everybody's got their coats, -
1:16 - 1:17and you've got all your cubbies
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1:17 - 1:21and the things you brought to school
you're not allowed to bring into class. -
1:21 - 1:23One day, my teacher
thought it was a good idea - -
1:23 - 1:25one of those days I'm out in la-la land:
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1:25 - 1:26"Chris, Chris."
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1:26 - 1:29She took me and brought me
into that coat closet and said, -
1:29 - 1:31"I think you'll pay attention
better in here." -
1:31 - 1:33And she closed the door behind me,
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1:33 - 1:37and I went, looked around,
I said, "Oh, yeah." -
1:37 - 1:40I took all those coats,
and I threw them all on the floor - -
1:40 - 1:41big pile, big pile.
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1:41 - 1:43And I took the diddle sheets,
laid them down, -
1:43 - 1:45and I fell asleep right on top of them,
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1:46 - 1:47and I just lay there,
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1:47 - 1:49and I feel asleep for three hours -
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1:49 - 1:50the teacher forgot about me.
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1:50 - 1:51(Laughter)
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1:51 - 1:54And she opens the door, and I wake up,
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1:54 - 1:55and my first thing was like,
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1:55 - 1:57"Yeah. I slept through school!
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1:57 - 1:59That's awesome."
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1:59 - 2:01And then I head out, all happy, you know,
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2:01 - 2:04and then I get my friends
looking at me, going, -
2:04 - 2:06"Dude, what were you doing in there, man?"
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2:06 - 2:07(Laughter)
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2:07 - 2:08"What? I ... "
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2:08 - 2:12and then it turned
to "What's wrong with me?" -
2:12 - 2:15I was the kid in the coat closet, man.
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2:15 - 2:17Ah, man.
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2:17 - 2:20And then you fast forward
a few more years. -
2:20 - 2:21Picture this: a classroom,
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2:21 - 2:24beautiful tables all lined up,
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2:24 - 2:27and here is this 1970-style study carrel,
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2:27 - 2:29back in the corner, orange.
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2:29 - 2:32Big circular, cool,
'70s-style kind of thing. -
2:32 - 2:34There was a little window
where you could peek out. -
2:34 - 2:37Well, that's where they put me.
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2:37 - 2:39And I was sitting back there one day,
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2:39 - 2:40out in la-la land.
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2:40 - 2:42You put a kid like me out there,
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2:42 - 2:45and I'm looking off and thinking
about space, all kinds of stuff, -
2:45 - 2:46and I look over,
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2:46 - 2:48and I see Big Brian,
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2:48 - 2:50and Big Brian's another kid
who had trouble paying attention. -
2:50 - 2:56And Big Brian's butt crack
is like, like, like fully exposed, -
2:56 - 2:57and I'm thinking to myself,
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2:57 - 3:02"How many spitballs can I get
down Big Brian's butt crack -
3:02 - 3:03(Laughter)
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3:03 - 3:04before Big Brian notices?"
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3:04 - 3:05And the answer is 20.
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3:05 - 3:07(Laughter)
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3:07 - 3:0820.
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3:08 - 3:11At 20, Big Brian
jumped up and said, "Hey!" -
3:11 - 3:14And my teacher grabbed me by the neck
and took me into the hallway, -
3:14 - 3:17took more diddle paper sheets
and put me in the hallway, -
3:17 - 3:18and in the hallway,
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3:18 - 3:20I'm sitting there, going,
"Man, this is sort of cool." -
3:20 - 3:22But then, yet again, the same thought:
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3:22 - 3:24"What the heck's wrong with me, man?
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3:24 - 3:25Why am I out here?"
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3:25 - 3:28Well, I survived - oh my goodness.
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3:28 - 3:30I survived hellementary -
I mean, elementary school, -
3:30 - 3:31and middle school -
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3:31 - 3:33oh, don't even talk about middle school.
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3:33 - 3:35But here we are, high school graduation.
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3:35 - 3:37High school graduation -
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3:37 - 3:38I'm sitting here, in the line,
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3:38 - 3:40everybody's all happy,
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3:40 - 3:41I'm sweating like I am now
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3:41 - 3:45because I had to get a 94
on my Spanish exam to graduate, -
3:45 - 3:46and I'm siiting there, thinking,
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3:46 - 3:47"Please, God,
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3:47 - 3:50don't let me be the kid
in the coat closet again. -
3:50 - 3:52Don't let me get the kid
that's in the study carrel. -
3:52 - 3:55Oh, not this time, please."
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3:55 - 3:56Well, I tell you what.
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3:56 - 3:58That's why I'm standing here today.
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3:58 - 4:01I'd like to propose an alternative
to putting kids in the coat closet, -
4:01 - 4:03putting them in study carrels,
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4:03 - 4:06and just telling them just to
plain old "You pay attention." -
4:07 - 4:08I want to propose -
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4:08 - 4:11because the joy of my life
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4:11 - 4:16is in my therapy with children and adults
who have attentional challenges. -
4:16 - 4:19I get to introduce them
to mindfulness training, -
4:19 - 4:20training you how to pay attention:
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4:20 - 4:23"Step 1. Step 2. Step 3.
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4:23 - 4:24This is how you pay attention."
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4:24 - 4:26I wish somebody would have taught me
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4:26 - 4:29how to bring your mind back
from Big Brian's butt crack -
4:29 - 4:32to this boring math,
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4:32 - 4:35this boring stuff that makes me feel
like I want to pull my hair out. -
4:35 - 4:37How do I say
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4:37 - 4:38"Not now, mind.
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4:38 - 4:40Look at the teacher's
funky dangle earrings, -
4:40 - 4:42and then she'll think
I'm paying attention to her." -
4:42 - 4:44But that helps.
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4:44 - 4:46Well, I tell you what.
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4:47 - 4:51My gift today to you all
is a little taste of mindfulness. -
4:51 - 4:54This little taste of mindfulness
is in four steps, -
4:54 - 4:55and so, in a moment,
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4:55 - 4:57I'm going to take you through four steps.
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4:57 - 4:59The first step is this:
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4:59 - 5:02I'm going to have everyone
close their eyes. -
5:02 - 5:04And the second step will be -
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5:04 - 5:06I'm going to ring this chime -
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5:06 - 5:09I'm going to have you focus
the best of your ability - -
5:09 - 5:11I know it's tough
for some of us, like me - -
5:11 - 5:15focus that down
just to the tone of that chime. -
5:15 - 5:16That's it.
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5:16 - 5:18The third step - if you notice
your mind wandering, -
5:18 - 5:20which mine will, even when I'm up here,
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5:20 - 5:21if you notice it wandering,
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5:21 - 5:25gently bring it back
to that tone of the chime. -
5:25 - 5:26Just gently bring it on back.
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5:26 - 5:31And step four is when
you no longer can hear it, -
5:31 - 5:34open your eyes and raise your hand,
and we'll take a look around. -
5:34 - 5:36All right.
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5:36 - 5:38Here we go.
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5:39 - 5:41One. Two. Three. Eyes closed.
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5:42 - 5:43(Chime tone)
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6:04 - 6:05Everyone look around.
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6:05 - 6:06Beautiful.
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6:06 - 6:11720 people paying attention
to the same thing at the same time. -
6:11 - 6:12Beautiful.
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6:12 - 6:14Well, I want everyone out here
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6:14 - 6:18to go spread the good news
of mindfulness training, -
6:18 - 6:19and go learn about it,
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6:19 - 6:20teach your children,
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6:20 - 6:22introduce the challenge for yourself.
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6:22 - 6:23So I want start a revolution
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6:23 - 6:27because we no longer want to lose
our dreamers and discoverers and dynamos, -
6:27 - 6:29but we want to foster
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6:29 - 6:34our future Edisons, our Einsteins,
our Picassos, our Louisa May Alcotts -
6:34 - 6:36and future great, great TED presenters.
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6:36 - 6:38Thank you so much.
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6:38 - 6:40(Applause)
- Title:
- Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus
- Description:
-
Were you ever stuck in a coat closet at school for not paying attention? Chris Fraser was. With quick humor, he introduces us to simple steps on how to just pay attention.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 06:48
Retired user approved English subtitles for Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus | ||
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Peter van de Ven edited English subtitles for Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for Paying attention | Chris Fraser | TEDxColumbus |