Recently my sister decided to give my 3 1/2 year old niece some paints, brushes, and paper; figuring that she’s old enough to be able to have fun without making too much of a mess. My niece enjoys coloring books and drawing, so it seemed like a logical progression.
Turns out my niece loves painting. She literally lost herself in it. At one point my sister asked if she wanted a sandwich for lunch. My niece responded, “I’m painting.” My sister asks again, “What do you want for lunch?” Without even lifting her head my niece responded, “Stop talking. I’m painting.” There’s a great lesson here from my 3 1/2 year old niece about focus and eliminating distractions.
How often do we let distractions dictate what we do? Even though her mom was asking her what she wanted to eat, my niece wasn’t having any of it. She was going to keep painting until she was done. It didn’t matter that her mom was talking to her. No one was going to break her concentration.
We often let life distract us. We could be in the middle of something; lost in what we’re doing. Instead of staying in the flow, we get distracted because there’s a meeting scheduled, or the phone rings, or we get an email and we can’t beat the urge to check it. We let those things interrupt us.
Why do we do that? Maybe we think it’s selfish. Maybe we don’t want to be rude. If we ignore the distractions, what we’re saying is “hold on, I’ve got more important things happening right now.” Instead of looking at it as selfish, look at it as self-power. It’s empowering to proclaim, “this is what I’m doing, and I can’t be bothered.”
It’s like those lights that go on when broadcasters are “on the air.” No one would dare interrupt them at that moment. What you’re doing is just as important as anyone else. Take the time to finish your work. You’re “on the air” and your work is valuable.
There is nothing more important than what you’re doing at this very moment. If you give yourself completely to the moment you can get lost in it like my niece. There have been times when I’ve been so focused on something that I’ve lost all sense of time. I did’t feel hunger. I did’t get tired.
It’s an amazing feeling to be so into what you’re doing that nothing else matters. The next time you start something give your undivided attention to it. Sign out of email, and Facebook, turn off your cell phone, eliminate anything that could be a possible distraction. See if you can get lost in it. If you get lost in it often enough, who knows, maybe you’ve just found your calling.
I’m thankful for this important lesson. What do you think? Will this work for you? How do you eliminate distractions from your life so you can focus on the moment in front of you?
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