One of the most difficult things, in my opinion, is becoming laser focused. The problem is that there are too many distractions. Too many buzzers, notifications, news alerts, social media updates, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, text messages, emails, fake news and conspiracy theories. But all of these things are just noise.
These are the things that bag your attention but really take you further from your goals. Part of the problem is that most people do not know what their goals are so they get trapped spending their time lost in the noise.
This is a problem because it’s really like going to the airport and getting on a plane not knowing where you’re going. And then once you get off the plane you realize you’re in Afghanistan (I’ve been to Afghanistan, trust me you don’t want to go there). And then you’re like, “I don’t want want to be here”. This is what most people are doing with their life. Including myself. For the majority of my life I didn’t know where I was going (hence how I ended up in Afghanistan).
You must know what your goals are and what it is you need to do on a daily basis to get closer to your goals. You need to actually write your goals down and refresh your memory daily of what you are supposed to do. Our memories are terrible and we forget things. The truth is that you are not focused because you do not have clear goals to focus on.
Another part of the problem is that there is information overload! There is all this information on the internet you have to rummage through only to find out that it’s worthless. For every pro, there are just as many cons online for pretty much anything you search. And that can make getting useful information difficult.
Often the culprit is advertising propaganda. I know propaganda is a scary word, but that’s exactly what it is. It’s annoying, time-consuming and 99.98% of advertising is crap product or services!
So, what do you do about it? Well, it’s taken me a very long time to figure this problem out, but my solution is to simply stop participating. Turn off all the notifications, unsubscribe from all the email lists, clear up the browsers and desktop and junk folders and delete all those stupid apps on your phone.
Stop responding to all those phone calls, emails, and text messages and get back to people later. Hardly anything needs an immediate response. If you must turn off your phone or set it down away from you. Use app blockers if you must. Stop watching the news and turn off the TV.
Politics is a real hot one even for myself. I had to isolate myself away from it and it has been difficult. But I’ve found that the truth is often somewhere in the middle and that’s really all you need to know when it comes to politics. Unless you are going to do something about it and want to be in politics then I suggest not paying attention to it. Because it’s a waste of time getting sucked up into political views that you may or may not entirely agree with.
Both sides have their issues but ask yourself this question, “does getting lost in the noise and the debates help change my situation and community or take me further away from my goals?”. This is why knowing your goals is so important. Because everything and almost everyone (sometimes including your family) are trying to steal your attention – AKA get you away from your goals.
The reason why is because if you’re always answering back to people or spending your time then how will you ever accomplish what it is you want to accomplish? If you are always responding back you are only helping those people get closer to their goals and further from your own.
I’m not saying don’t help people.What I am saying is that if you don’t help yourself you won’t be able to help those around you. Mother Teresa famously said, “if each of us would only sweep our own doorstep then the world would be clean”.It’s my belief that in order for you to get what you want in life you have to add a ton of value to other people’s lives. It’s your duty to help others.
You have to remove the weeds of the mind. You can’t be focused on some negative post someone commented on. Or something you did or something someone said to you 15 years ago. You are only hurting yourself when you get lost in the noise and banter of your mind.
What about when real emergencies arise and I need to respond or get involved? Real emergencies may arise, but often these “fires” people are always putting out are truly not real emergencies. These are distractions.
Have discernment and determine what are distractions from actual problems. Often the challenges we face are from the things we put the least amount of focus on and then they snowball out of control. That’s why you need to identify the things that truly matter.
Everyone is different so I can’t tell you what to focus on – that’s for you to get to decide. The areas of our lives that need the most focus are health, finances, family and spirituality. What are you doing today to gain more clarity? What areas of your life or business do you need to focus more on?
Getting clear focused energy, in my opinion, comes from having clear goals in mind all the time. Knowing what actions you need to take and when to take them is crucial. Cut out alcohol and drugs and star eating clean. I’ve found having a morning routine really helps me to prepare for the day both mentally and physically.
By starting the day right and having a clear strategy as to what it is I need to accomplish. Some of my daily morning routines involve cold showers, breathing exercises, meditation, and exercise.
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