It’s been a while since I’ve made the time to sit down and write. I can’t use the excuse that I’ve been too busy because we all are busy and we all have the same amount of time to get things accomplished. It all comes down to what I have chosen to do with my time; and, obviously, I made other choices and let others things take priority. In my life, when I see that I have not done something in a while that is important to me, I know it is time to pause, reflect, and see where I need to focus and what I need to let go.
Letting go of things is not easy, but I have to remind myself that I can’t be scattered in various directions. I can do many things with mediocrity but that is not what I want to do. I want to focus on 3-5 things and do them with excellence. I have to be aware of what distracts me and know those distractions, recognize them, and then ignore them.
This became clear to me when I was lying in bed for 10 days with some kind of bacteria that got into my digestive system. I was so ill that I couldn’t do anything…read, listen to the radio, watch TV, etc. Nothing gets you thinking more than not being able to do anything or go anywhere. I kept thinking “what if I had an illness that would leave me like this forever? Have I done enough with excellence that I would be satisfied with what I have accomplished up until now in my life???” I decided to take the three weeks of illness and the forced “pause” in my life to reflect, think, and focus.
I know that I will fall once in a while and get distracted but it doesn’t matter how many times I fall down….it matters that I get back up and get right on track again.
Do you feel like you are being scattered in multiple directions??? Are the important things in your life getting the attention they deserve? Are the choices you are making today taking you in the direction of your goals, values, and vision for your life?
Don’t wait until an illness forces you to slow down and have to get off the merry-go-round. Schedule one day or a weekend retreat to re-visit your vision for your life. See where you need to focus – what you need to let go of – and the choices you need to make in order to do this. Write it down. Put it in several places. Remind yourself on a daily basis of what you need to choose to do and not do that day. Every choice in each moment does matter. I wish you all the best, and I will be right there with you making choices to get me to my goals!
Angela Prather 