“Living on purpose is like a horse wearing blinders.” Bob Goff
“We won’t be distracted by comparison if we’re living on purpose.” Bob Goff
Hands up if you are struggling with any of the following:
Procrastination
Anxiety
Self-esteem
Forgetfulness
Creativity
Focus
You are not alone.
Ask yourself, “Am I easily distracted?” If you answer “No” then you are more distracted than you understand. That is me. The reality is that when I am consuming more than I am creating my consumption leaves me feeling bloated with a diminished appetite to create. Life gets blurred between the physical and the digital.
Did you know some sidewalks in China have cell phone lanes? Now before you get distracted and venture off to Google if the absurd is true, stay focused on what you are reading. (It is true.)
Tempted
I am tempted to pay attention to the last text, message, or e-mail I received. The trivial and the crucial occupy the same plane when I fall prey to that temptation.
In 2022 we suffer from thinning attention spans and diminished capacity for deep thinking and creativity. Each of us possess a finite store of attention to pay to ideas and to people. Whether we’re trying to keep up with an excessive number of information sources or hundreds of Facebook “friends,” we’ve got only so much attention to spread around. When we keep up with so many ties, our ties can’t help but get thinner.
Have you noticed that as we become increasingly distracted, we have to work harder to catch ourselves in the acts of distraction? It takes a great level of awareness to notice our distraction.
Bob Goff, in his latest book, Undistracted, writes, "A thousand unnoticed distractions are preventing you from living with the kind of focused purpose that will produce the life you are longing for."
Here’s a few thoughts on finding happiness by facing the frenzy of distractions.
Keeping Distractions at Bay
1. Become aware of why you fall prey to distraction.
There is an attention economy at work. Businesses pay good money to distract you towards what they are selling.
In social media the likes, comments, and connection requests trigger delightful hits of chemical stimulants in our brains.
Distractions are addictive.
Fear of missing out is the fourth horseman of the distraction apocalypse.
Awareness acts like God’s nudge towards securing my identity, worth, and fulfillment through my purpose.
2. We need periods of uninterrupted time to feel creative. Dedicate focused amounts of time to write with no digital distractions. I turn off email and silence my phone. 50-minutes is my sweet spot but if I am able, I will write longer.
3. Give God and your work your undistracted best. I optimize my most energized hours. The optimal time for me to create is between 6am and 8:30am with less between 8:30am and 1:00pm. I start my days before 6am, by reading a scheduled portion of the Bible, journal and pray. That process is a daily reminder of why I exist and who I serve.
4. On a larger scale than just writing, become captivated by something much bigger and much better. My self-esteem comes from God’s estimate of me. My peace of mind comes from working and living out God’s purpose. Likewise, happiness is a by-product of choices I make to put God first.
Bob Goff offers a friendly reminder to be attentive to the ultimate goal for our lives as Christ followers, “It doesn’t matter what the work is; it is who we become in the process of doing our work that does, and the goal is to look and act more like Jesus while we do it.”
We don't need more facts to find the purpose and kindness and unselfishness we long for. We need a firmly seated faith, a few good friends and a couple of trustworthy reminders.
I know you can dedicate August as a month of becoming aware of distractions and freeing yourself for the creativity that makes you happy.
I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.
Please follow my writing at REVwords.com
I would love to hear from you.
Thank you, Bob, for inspiring us to focus on what matters most: "We need a firmly seated faith, a few good friends and a couple of trustworthy reminders."
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone reads this post as it's packed with wisdom for how and why to minimize distractions in our lives.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Thank you, Wendy for being the first responder!
DeleteThanks Bob. I struggle with distractions and I needed a good reminder how to set them aside.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my post didn't distract you for too long. :)
DeleteMy favourite line: "The reality is that when I am consuming more than I am creating my consumption leaves me feeling bloated with a diminished appetite to create." I have experienced that diminished appetite to create, but I've found, as you so eloquently write, that I need uninterrupted time to feel creative. I was my most productive ever during the first year of the pandemic. No pressure to DO, and no place to BE, gave me freedom to be creative for hours. Thank you, Bob, for this encouraging post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy. The first year of the pandemic there were no birthday parties, family reunions, weddings or social expectations to fulfill. 7 days a week for over 52 weeks of permission to isolate, focus and create. The "good old days."
DeleteThere is a lot of wisdom in this post, Bob. I may need to re-read it to glean all that you have to say. In any case, you hit the nail on the head about distractions and how too much thins our ties.. Thanks and blessings.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit of the spirit is self-control. Being undistracted is a spiritual undertaking, as are all important things in life. Blessings on you, Tracy, as you bear fruit in honor to Jesus.
DeleteThanks for your wisdom, Bob. You have some excellent strategies for me to ponder. Your suggestion to "dedicate August as a month of becoming aware of distractions and freeing yourself for the creativity that makes you happy" hit the nail on the head for me. That I am doing. I missed my posting date for August, and am gathering strategies for an about-face to make my life and writing more purposeful. (I'll post later in the month).
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're dedicating August to eliminating distractions, Sandi. I look forward to reading what you post later in August. I know its going to be good and real.
DeleteWow. So much meat here to digest. Your phrase, “The reality is that when I am consuming more than I am creating my consumption leaves me feeling bloated with a diminished appetite to create.” rings very true for me. Thanks very much, Bob. Lots to think about.
ReplyDelete