Top Examples of Distractions

Here, wait a minute. I need to….

• Fold laundry 
• Drink some water 
• Check my e-mail 
• Determine if I have any text messages 
• Plan tonight’s dinner 
• Worry if my son got to work safely.

I’m probably forgetting something. In any case, give me about an hour to check everything off my to-do list. After that, I’ll get right back to finishing this article--unless something else pops up. No guarantees.

Whether you’re male or female, you may relate to the image above. I find myself thinking or writing one thought, and fast forwarding to a totally different subject. Additionally, I’ve been known to walk into a room and immediately forget the purpose of changing venues. I know I’m not alone in having this personality quirk. Numerous friends report the same kind of behavior.

We live in a culture of constant change and movement. In other words, we abide in a state of commotion. There’s no getting around it. Many of us deal with multiple projects, children, medical challenges, and so forth.

Hold on! I had some other good ideas for blog posts. There was the one about…

Should I serve chili dogs or fish sticks for dinner?

What are distractions?

Many circumstances cause medical and mental “viruses”. In fact, anything that keeps us from fulfillment can be considered an unwanted disturbance.

For instance, we hear quite often about cutting out disruptions when we’re driving. My daughter just finished taking Driver’s Education in school.  Many hours are spent talking about the dangers of texting and driving. They also discuss restrictions on driving unsupervised with friends.

I submit that driving isn’t the only time distractions are unhealthy. Chronic and acute trauma of any kind provides them as well:

• Illness 
• Equipment malfunction and failure 
• Relationship crisis 
• Career predicament

A Practical Analogy

A friend related to me a practical illustration of diversion. She learned it in her church’s ladies’ group meeting:

Two ladies held a rope tautly at about chest height. A blindfolded woman had to walk from one end of the rope to the other. Her job was to keep hold of the rope even though the other attendees simultaneously called out urgently for her attention. She succeeded.

What is the Solution?

Pain happens. We get distressed by the many roadblocks life throws at all of us.  In the same manner as the woman above, we must not let the vagaries of life sway us from our course.  Our first priority is to hold on to what we know is truth.

It’s not easy to stay on the road to improvement when life throws up barriers. Yet, we can train ourselves to remain calm. The natural inclination of the dogs pictured above is to chase the cat. Most canines would be instantly distracted and give chase.

On the contrary, these police K-9 (canine) recruits are too well-trained to follow this strong, momentary instinct. They are holding on to the bigger picture in the knowledge of an eventual reward.

How do you keep yourself free of distractions?