Be still.
This is hard to do in a world full of distractions. It is such a busy time that everything is happening all at once to the point that distractions linger at every second of every minute of the day. How then, can one accomplish anything of significance with so many distractions?
You must silence the noise. The only way to do this is by developing a discipline over your thought life. Isn’t it amazing that the term “thought life” is a real thing? Our thoughts are powerful to the point that if not managed properly, can take on a life of their own. Whatever thoughts you allow to constantly consume your mind is what will show up in your life, time and time again. Your thoughts are so powerful that your body will act in accordance with them.
Focus
How do you silence the noise? By focusing on what you want to accomplish. Developing your skills of focus will train you on how to tune out things that would otherwise become distractions. Silencing the noise requires you be able to turn on your tunnel vision so that you can accomplish a task or reach certain goals. By the way, tunnel vision can only occur when you have a vision. That’s why it is called “tunnel” vision. You only see the vision you have in the forefront of your thoughts. You see something in your mind you desperately wish to accomplish that it becomes all you see.
It is possible to learn to control the mind and not allow the mind to control you. When you are distracted, it is because you are no longer in control, but your mind is now controlling you.
Always keep this saying in mind: “Wherever the mind goes, the body follows”.
Until you learn to step outside of yourself to make decisions that are best for you to navigate through life, the mind will give you instructions. This can possibly lead to you wasting a lot of time on things that do not serve to move you forward in life.
One of the biggest time wasters is endlessly scrolling through social media. I have been guilty of this as well. There have been times that I have found myself scrolling and was also aware that my time could have been better spent doing working on my craft, may it have been writing, researching, or reading.
It is such an easy trap to fall into. You know how you tell yourself that you will just “check” Facebook or Instagram and that turns into 2 hours of hitting the “Like” button? That’s when it’s time to silence the noise.
Get Clear
When you are having a hard time focusing and things seem out of balance is a sure sign that it is time to be still. Doing so allows one to understand what is going on within. You gain clarity and a sense of peace when you get still and silence the noise.
Some people can’t stand to be alone because the silence is anything but peaceful or quiet, for peace escapes a mind at war within itself. Which brings me to an area I believe needs to be addressed: If you don’t know who you are, getting still and quiet is a must because more than likely, you are using the noise as a distraction from yourself. This is dangerous because all you are
The irony with allowing distractions to take precedence in your life is when you refuse to do the necessary work on yourself (speaking from personal experience), God will place you smack dead in the middle of what will become a part of your purpose and mission. This can be life altering and most times will come unexpectedly; however, you will begin to develop into who you are supposed to be.
Personal Development
It will be painful and uncomfortable but when you come out on the other side of this personal development training designed by the Creator Himself, you will be able to provide top-notch service in your area of expertise because it will be the area in which you suffered the most.
And then there are times when the process of becoming who you are supposed to be will be subtle, and as stated before, even painful, as you are slowly immersed more and more into your purpose. This “becoming” happens through life experiences and you may not realize what’s taking place until you become self-aware and when this happens, you will navigate through life completely different.
Gaining clarity on the things that are distractions does not happen the same way for everyone. Becoming self-aware and deciding to walk along the path of purpose will require giving up some stuff.
Becoming self-aware will require you to learn self-discipline in areas where you lack discipline. This process will also require a lot of sacrifices.
Keep in mind that none of this will or can take place until you are ready to make some serious changes in your life. If you are fine with being distracted and wasting time but don’t recognize those things that may be keeping you from becoming greater – then you will continue to do what you have been doing.
However, if you are truly sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, you will line up with what needs to be done to change your life. When we focus on our goals and our purpose, it becomes easy to ignore distractions. Developing the ability to have laser focus is what allows you to accomplish more in less time.
Plan
Unless you have been doing so for a while, you may not be aware of how good it feels to live a disciplined life. The only way to get to that point is by taking the first step that will lead to self-awareness and that is to get still, silence the noise, and figure out your next steps. Write them down and pray for guidance.
When you get a plan in place, initially, it is very exciting. The reason I say initially is that a lot of times what happens is we will have this moment of excitement but when our plans to not happen as quickly as we would like or the process seems not at all what we may have pictured in our mind, it is easy to get discouraged.
Process
What I have learned is during the moments when things get tough is when you must keep going, understanding that failure is part of the process. The process never stops. It may change directions with new experiences but it is never-ending.
The words I write are my thoughts and I share them knowing this is also part of the process and most definitely part of my purpose. Honestly, I don’t know when or if my words will resonate with someone. I don’t know if they will reach one person or many people. What I do know is that I had to get still and silence all that noise that was going on in my head in order to get to the point where I could articulate my words in a manner that will hopefully resonate with others.
Purpose
You have a purpose; there is so much more for you to do and experience in life. If you are constantly moving but making no progress it means you are moving in circles. If this is the case for you, now is a good time to figure out what you need to do to get clear. Stop all the busyness and silence the noise in order to move forward in your life.