I have a quick observation that I believe will help achieve much of what you want in life if you apply it consistently. The other day our cat, Chanel, had been taking a nap, now there’s a shocker, when she woke up she was either hungry or thirsty because she started walking toward her food and water bowl. Part way there she passed through an area of sunshine coming through our glass door, she stopped for a few seconds then just flopped over on her side and went back to sleep. She lost sight of her goal because she got distracted.
As a business and life coach, I often ask people what they want out of their life or business. Most people know but some don’t. If they don’t know what they really want, that is where we start, if they do know then we discuss what is holding them back. I hear a lot of “reasons”, better known as excuses, for why they aren’t achieving more. When we really get to the root cause it is nearly always about making the right choices and not getting distracted.
We all have responsibilities like work or family, we have to spend some time on sleeping, eating, hygiene etc. Each of us gets 86,400 seconds every day, the difference between an amazing life and a mediocre existence is determined by how you use those seconds that are not committed to other activities. You can read a good book about your profession or relationships, or you can binge watch Netflix. You might be thinking, “It feels so good to just relax.” I get it, I’m not saying work all the time but even if you invest 30-60 minutes/day feeding your mind, you will move ahead of others by being better at your job or being a better spouse or parent.
Maybe you start running or going to the gym but after a few days, you decide instead to get a little extra sleep because it feels so good and the routine is broken. Again, it is about choices, going to bed a little earlier may be a better choice. Does anybody really need to listen to a rehash of all the negative news they listened to earlier that day? And who is watching all these Late-Night Talk Shows that come on at 11:30?
A sound mind and body will allow you to add more value to the world, and the world only pays for one thing…value. Since our cat doesn’t have many responsibilities she can get away with getting distracted and still have a pretty good life. As a human, I suggest getting distracted from what is really important will hold you back from many of the wonderful things that life has to offer.
The next time you have a choice of doing the right thing or the easy thing choose wisely. While it takes discipline to do the correct thing, once you start achieving your goals and dreams you will really be able to say, “It feels so good!”
