Staying Focused when Surrounded by Distractions
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Newsfeeds, the kid’s lunches, nuclear war, politics, more politics, we are constantly distracted, pulled in to difficulties, dramas, events… Our lives are filled with distractions – some annoying, some life altering. So how do we stay present and conscious with our own goals during these times when it appears that everyone around us is begging us to engage with their distraction? It’s a two-part solution.First – we must remove the distraction to begin with. Just as you wouldn’t (or you shouldn’t) keep a pantry full of junk food if your singular goal is clean eating, we shouldn’t invite unnecessary distractions into our life when we’re trying to focus.
Second – we must find unique ways to remind us of our goals or progress. This keeps us focused and our goals in front of us. And if we remind ourselves often enough of those goals, we will continuously be goal centered in our thinking, that is why we must continuously be on the lookout for progress from our efforts.
A focus story
When I first started my weight loss journey I was an internal IT tech support person for a large collection agency. I essentially worked in a small back room for a large call center and went out to the large office several times a day when someone’s computer locked up. The back row of the call center was my worst enemy. Not because of the people but because there was only a small amount of walking room between the wall and the workers sitting at their desks. I was so big, it was so uncomfortable to try to suck in, squeeze myself and shimmy my way down that aisle. I can still feel it, my butt scraping along the wall while my belly was pressing against the backs of their computer chairs. I hated it. I dreaded it. I was ashamed and embarrassed. I spent years bumping and scraping along, every single time, dreading the back row. A couple months into my fitness journey I was called to the back row for a tech problem. I walked down the long hallway passing row by row of the call center. I approached the last row and started to suck in the gut. Shallowed my breathing, prepared myself. To my amazement, I walked right through the back row, my stomach never touched the back of the chairs. I looked around in disbelief, thinking corporate had to have moved the row up, got smaller chairs, something, anything to make it so that I have more room to walk back there. But then it hit me, the row didn’t change, the chairs didn’t change, I had changed! In only two months I had changed my body enough that I no longer was uncomfortable in that back row.
The longer I was on my journey the more I realized we see examples just like mine if we are working hard, focused on our goals and leaving our distractions behind us. We can focus on our clothing, they start to fit differently. We can focus on the way our body feels in the shower, smaller, tighter. We can focus on the amazing realization that it is easier to move, or tie our shoes, or haul groceries. If we are focused, we will see signs of our progress all the time. We MUST grab hold of those signs and use those as motivation and a constant reminder to stay laser focused on producing more toward our goals. Not because the world depends on it, not because it’s some important factor for the greater good but because it’s what you truly desire and you deserve to accomplish that which you desire and you deserve to live the life of your dreams that you are working so hard for.
Focus on what is good and right for you – and let the distractions go.
So here is my challenge – hold onto your successes, obsess about your accomplishments and use those as proof of your progress, proof of your potential and the singular fuel that you use to keep your internal flame of determination lit.
If you need help, assistance, guidance, coaching toward that vision of yours, contact us – we focus on what we do well, helping you focus.
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About The Author
Jeremy Reid
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