Dr. David Eagleman

It could be that by establishing Ulysses contracts in many aspects of our lives, we get more of an opportunity to be in the present because we know, look, I don't have to worry about my future self.

I'm not going to eat that cookie.

I am going to go to the gym, whatever, because I've already set up these contracts.

I don't have any cookies in my house.

I'm meeting my buddy at the gym, whatever.

Then you have more of an opportunity to be in the present.

You don't have to simulate all kinds of futures.

Yeah, I think paying attention to things matters a lot, but we have to be smart about what we pay attention to.

I mean, it might be lovely to really love the water and so on, but not, you know, your Instagram feed or something.

So it's just a matter of...

of thinking clearly about what you want to pay attention to and devote your memories to.

And this translates into what you set up.

Like, I'm gonna set up a dinner at my house, I'm gonna invite my close friends, and I'm gonna have this dinner and pay 100% attention to this dinner.

I'm gonna be present at this thing, because that's the stuff of life.

By the way, I was just in Las Vegas at CES giving a talk yesterday.

And as I was leaving, I looked out the window and there was, you know, this Chinese lion statue.

And there was this homeless woman smoking a cigarette and she was rubbing this thing very vigorously.

And the guy driving the car told me, oh, that's good luck if you rub the statue.

Which is, of course, ridiculous.

But the woman was rubbing and rubbing.