Monday, March 18, 2013

How To Remove Distractions

Sometimes distractions can keep you in a stuck place.

I offer myself as an example. I'm easily distracted because I'm a divergent thinker. I can go upstairs to find my phone and notice a drooping plant. So I water it. Then I see that it doesn't have enough soil and realize I'll have to repot it in the spring.

Then, I'll be excited that it's almost spring and think about gardening, which will lead me to my bookshelf and my stash of gardening books. Before you know it, I'm surrounded by gardening books and magazines working on the plans for spring.

I assure you, this is not ADD. It's divergent thinking, which is like popcorn. It works like this. I start with one idea and then another pops and another and...well, you get the idea. Like I said, I'm easily distracted. Lately I've noticed that they mainly come in the form of books and magazines.

I decided to get brutal with myself because even seeing certain books on my shelf will give me ideas of things that can be done or changed. So taking a cue from the apostle Paul, I decided to put away the past.

In Philippians 3:12 Paul says, "...No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.



So I took the things that were distracting me from moving forward and boxed them up. I even boxed up those things in which I'd previously been successful, because the past belongs in the past. Or at least it belongs in a box in the attic.


And for good measure, I also boxed up some of the future. One day, hopefully soon, I'll open up those boxes because I've moved forward and conquered the territory in front of me now.

I'm praying for you too and against those things distracting you!

4 comments:

  1. Erika, How funny that lately I've been distracted by magazines too! I had to finally just cancel them all because I just needed them to go away and I'm not brave enough to throw them away or box them up yet. I have them on shelves, in baskets and even in an ugly cardboard box behind my living room sofa, all taking up valuable real estate in my house. Thanks for your fine example - hopefully I'm not too far behind you.

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    1. We must be sisters Terri:) And thanks for the comment, you just gave me an idea for another post!

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  2. Erika, wow! I feel like you just read my mail! As a fellow divergent thinker or processor, I, too, am easily distracted; mainly from the plethora of books that occupy precious space in my bedroom (we live in a small townhouse). Approximately 4-5 books are stacked on my nightstand on any given day, and yes I am reading them simultaneously (well not at the same time, that would be impossible, but you know what I mean!). I can be in the middle of one project then impulsively jump to the next. I call it chasing squirrels. I force myself to keep those squirrels to a minimum these days. I am so happy that I read your blog today and found it completely encouraging! The scripture reference was a personal and much-needed word for me on this day! Blessings my friend, Beth Jarrott

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  3. Thanks for the comments Beth and I'm so happy you were blessed by the post. I loved your "chasing squirrels" reference. I call mine, "catching butterflies" :) My nightstand is in the same condition as yours and I've decided to embrace this part of me and consider it a gift that I even like to read!

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