Division Of Attention

Easy, easy...My head was about to insert itself so far up my posterior that it was in danger of disappearing completely.

Stopping, having a part of myself (was it my consciousness? ego? my real self?) step outside of the conversation (time?) and observe what was happening helped to bring about the realization that I was being a) an ass, b) insufferable, c) a braggart, and d) really annoying. All at the same time.

So the steps taken were:

1: Have a part of myself stop participating in the interactions and step outside of the moment.
2: Observe myself as I was interacting.
3: Observe others in interaction with myself.
4: Make necessary changes to behaviour in accordance with previously defined rules. For simplicity's sake one golden rule was used: be polite.

That's when I started to change, almost a transformation as the inward change manifested itself in outward conduct and mannerisms. I realized that I was far happier this way even though I was far more interesting (I thought) the other way.

It was then remarkable how when I changed, the others changed as well. Sometimes the change was as subtle as a slight shifting in body position that looked like a release of tension and was confirmed as such through more overt examples such as smiles (quicker), hand gestures (more physical touching), tone of voice (slightly lower, less quivers) and eyes (more direct contact). Overall the interactions became somewhat smoother and slightly of more substance as people started to relax and trust.

Things still to do:

1: Understand which part of me stepped out of time (so to speak).
2: Practice this division of attention.
3: Further define the rules for behavior.