[bctt tweet=”Anything can get your attention and leave you arguing with yourself (sigh) like a crazy person. “]
Don’t get lost.
I spent 10 minutes this morning building an argument against no one…all about this picture.
The caption on the picture “cop was beating an unarmed black man.”
I spent 10 minutes of head space attacking this picture from different angles. I counted pieces, I looked at positions, and I thought about the awful taste of the caption.
After typing this out, I feel embarrassed.
This picture got my attention while I was on Facebook(strike one) with nothing planned(strike two) and I was nervous about some new work I wanted to get done (strike three).
And that was my lesson. I primed myself for distraction. Those three strikes above are good enough for my resistance to win. I had no chance.
As much as I have learned this year, there is a lesson that keeps popping back up, again and again. Without guidance, distractions have a wide berth. Anything can get your attention and leave you arguing with yourself (sigh) like a crazy person.
Having something to do isn’t enough. When I crafted this wonderful argument, I had dishes from breakfast to wash, a bed to make up, and this very post to write. Plenty of things to do, all of them would push my day forward.
I didn’t have focus. I had a map, with no gas in the car. I was trying to manage and act at the same time, and I just ended up with nothing in front of me. Luckily, I took a second, recognized how stuck I became, and pushed forward again.
Don’t beat yourself up over getting lost. It happens, but just remember that there are several components to living a more disciplined life. When it happens, take a step back, breathe and look. There is still time before you call someone just to argue. ( I’ve been there before :-[ )
From the desk of Adam Thomas 