Do you know why many people do not progress in life? It’s not due to ability or intellect, but rather due to their inability to stay focused. Focus is essential to achieve anything worthwhile in this life. If we are going to stay focused, we must begin to better identify our distractors. Many of our distractions are emotional in nature. In order to progress in life, you must learn how to keep calm & stay focused.
I encourage you to take some time to ponder this question:
What distracts me?
The first step in identifying what’s hindering your progress is to identify your distractions. I believe we all have particular triggers or traps that we continuously run into. Even our enemy tends to use the same strategies on us. We fall for it over and over again because the situation changes. Though the situation may change, the strategy remains the same.
We must begin to spot his strategies.
You’ll gain insight into his strategies by taking the time to identify what typically distracts you. I even encourage you to write lists. It may seem silly, but start jotting down when you notice yourself getting distracted. Get detailed and specific. Do this for about a week and I guarantee you will begin to make some essential observations.
Progress or even a lack of progress is not often a complex matter. It is, alternatively, a spiritual matter. We must rely on wisdom and discernment in order to identify and overcome.
After identifying your typical distractors, you must begin to focus in on your weaknesses.
Ask yourself:
What makes me vulnerable to these situations?
After gaining insight into the distractors, the second step is to gain insight into self. What is it in you that makes you vulnerable to your particular distractors. What do they trigger in you? Most triggers elicit an emotional response. Before we give in to the particular distraction, we most likely we feel a certain type of way.
For instance, I have to watch out for anger. Anger distracts me. As I’ve grown in understanding myself, I must stay on guard for situations that attempt to anger me. It’s not to say that I expect to never get angry, I just realize that I am prone to anger easily. I’ll share with you that I did not even know that I had an anger issue until the Lord showed me! I discuss this in more detail in BREAK FREE & LIVE! There may be particular issues holding you back that you may not be fully aware of yet.
If you feel that could be the case for you, I encourage you to check out BREAK FREE & LIVE!
As I’ve learned that anger is a shortcoming of mine, I have to be very intentional to not allow this emotion control, direct, or distract me. I’ve learned that not only does anger distract me, it drains me, hence limiting my productivity on more worthy matters. Most often, the issue that anger is directed at is not even worth it. I must intentionally tell myself:
“Keep Calm & Stay Focused.”
I share that in hopes that it will help you to identify your distractors, as well as your particular shortcomings that allow the distractor to succeed. Other common emotions that are triggered by various situations, include: discouragement, fear, disillusionment, insecurity, inferiority.
I encourage you to take the time today to start paying attention to what’s hindering you. Remember, achieving anything worthwhile will require a high level of focus. God has plans for you [Jeremiah 29:11]. Likewise, Satan will always aim to steal, kill, and destroy you [John 10:10].
The more aware you become, the more prepared you’ll be for his tactics/distractions.
Regardless of what comes your way, know that you are more than a conqueror through him that loved us [Romans 8:37]. This will allow you to keep calm & stay focused, no matter what.
With love,
