Fighting Distraction Through Purpose by Christine Smith (Guest Post)

We won’t be distracted by comparison if we’re captivated with purpose. – Bob Goff

Almost a year ago I came across the above quote in my Twitter feed. Each time I saw it, I paused because at that time I was indeed distracted by comparison. Too often I had allowed myself to go down a rabbit trail in my mind where I named myself as being less than others. Less successful, less beautiful, less popular, having less time with friends, or fewer achievements under my belt. Comparison is not the only thief of joy that distracts me from what God is calling me to do. In the last few months, I have noticed that I am often distracted from meaningful tasks by becoming too focused on my negative feelings. This could be when I feel tired, sad about a difficult situation, or even restless and bored. Dwelling on the worries of tomorrow is also a distraction for me.

Since reading this quote, I have been reflecting a lot on the word purpose. This word has become like a beacon of light in moments of foggy confusion. Purpose has many synonyms (which I have highlighted in italics below) that can lead us out of downward spirals of distraction. In order to stay focused on our writing and other meaningful activities in our lives, we must know what direction God is calling us to. We should have a vision for what we aspire to become and accomplish.

Lastly, we need to be determined to follow through in chasing these desires. One post I read said that the opposite of distraction is traction, which is defined as an action that moves us towards what we really want. Do you know what you really want? What is God calling you to that will help shape who He wants you to be and guide your to-do list?

Recently, I made a list on my phone that I have for now called “Purposeful Activities”. My list has fourteen items on it, everything from giving loving actions to people in my life to reading my Bible to writing and even having a nap! (Sometimes we are distracted simply because we are tired. Never forget that Jesus took naps so we can unashamedly do so too.) Each activity aligns with the goals God has led me to pursue. When I feel my sense of direction is lost and I am likely to get pulled into whatever distraction is in front of me, I pull up my list and know that if I choose one of those endeavours I will be following God’s plans for me. I have also learned that if I am distracted by feeling overwhelmed from having too much to do, I must try to simply choose one task to get started. The last piece of advice I learned recently in a writing course is to “start where you can”. If one task is too difficult, try another one. Sometimes I have planned to do a certain activity at a pre-assigned time, but when I get to that time my mood does not match up to my plan. I have learned it works well to sometimes adjust to choose a different purposeful activity that still allows me to accomplish a meaningful goal.

Ephesians 2:10 states that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has many purposeful activities in mind for each of us every day of our lives. As Bob Goff states in his timely new book entitled Undistracted, “we need to realign, refine, and reconnect with the greater purposes of our lives rather than be distracted by the lesser ones.” It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead you to discern what He is calling you to focus on and that you will delight each day in the good work He is doing in and through you.

Christine Smith is a teacher who is just beginning to write for audiences other than herself or her students' parents. She is currently exploring the world of beginning a writing website. Christine lives in Langley, B.C. and enjoys coffee, reading, being outside, and making memories with her husband and four kids.

The Happiness of the Undistracted by Bob Jones

 

“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.

Love Does, A Reflection by Susan Barclay

from Pixabay

As I read this month's theme about working on projects that make your heart sing, I grimaced. I know that real writers are supposed to engage with their craft daily, even wrote a post about it almost eleven years ago. Yet here I am all these years later, still wrestling with the writing commitment. Is it that writing doesn't make my heart sing? Real writers don't seem to struggle as I do, no matter what life circumstances seem to come their way.

I recently finished reading Bob Goff's book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World. The book's description reads, "What fuels his impact? Love. But it's not the kind of love that stops at thoughts and feelings. Bob's love takes action. Bob believes Love Does." 

Now, after reading the book, I can tell you Bob has lived a wildly incredible life so far. He tells some pretty amazing stories of people he's met, places he's been, lessons he's learned, lives that have been changed as a result of influence God has allowed him to have. And Bob does have an advantage over most of us, or at least over me, seeing as he has the resources of a successful law practice to support his activities (money, networks, flexibility, etc.). Still, the encouragement of Love Does is that whether we bring a little or a lot to the table, we can all do something.

At the end of his book Bob asks,

What's your next step? I don't know for sure, because for everyone it's different, but I bet it involves choosing something that already lights you up. Something you already think is beautiful or lasting and meaningful. Pick something you aren't just able to do; instead, pick something you feel like you were made to do and then do lots of that. You weren't just an incredible idea that God never got around to making. The next step happened for the world when God dropped you on the planet. You're here and I'm here. God decided to have us intersect history, not at just any time, but at this time. He made us to be good at a few things and bad at a couple others. He made us to love some things and not like others. Most of all, He made us to dream. We were meant to dream a lot. We're not just a cosmic biology experiement that ended up working. We're part of God's much bigger plan for the whole world. Just like God's Son arrived here, so did you. And after Jesus arrived, God whispered to all of humanity... 'It's your move.' Heaven's been leaning over the rails in the same way ever since you got here, waiting to see what you'll do with your life.

Of course we're not going to impact the world to the degree that Jesus did. After all, He saved the world, or at least those who would believe and receive and make Him Lord of their lives. Still, as Bob suggests, we were made uniquely for a purpose only we can fulfill. 

What lights you up? What lights me up? In spite of the "obstacles" (a part-time day job, caring for my elderly mother who would not appreciate being called "elderly," helping young adult children navigate their lives), I do feel that writing is a thing (the thing?) I was made to do. And even though it's sometimes challenging making time to write even this monthly blog post, I'm glad I haven't shirked the "duty" (most months anyway) since writing my first post in September 2011 (see link in paragraph one above). While some themes bring a grimace, they still prompt the stimulation of grey matter, and that is very much needed. "Use it or lose it" as the saying goes. Or, "no pain, no gain."

Now I need to find a project (in addition to writing for Inscribe Writers Online) that makes my heart sing...

____________________

For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com