How is it when you’re trying to focus on a task, a gnat comes in to distract you? That’s what I’m experiencing right now, distractions…minus the gnat. I can’t seem to focus on the task at hand. Believe it or not, this is the fourth topic I’m trying to write today. I’m blaming my inability to concentrate and me constantly distracting myself from my work. Overall distractions remind me of gnats and how pesky they are, especially when I’m trying to focus or am deep in thought about one thing or the other. So today, I’m going to write about distractions, being that that is where my mind is at.
Distractions can be good or bad. Distractions at times are necessary in life because sometimes, thinking too deeply about something or being too involved in a task can lead one down a rabbit hole. I believe some of the best inspirations can come from distractions. For instance, when I’m struggling to focus on writing (like I am today), I like to take my dog for a walk outside. Being outside is a great way for me to get recharged and settle my brain. Or I like to listen to music and maybe even dance a bit, so that I can get my adrenaline pumping and lighten up my mood and get back to doing what I was intending to do. Little things like those examples help me to focus and push forward.
Then there are the bad distractions, “the gnats”, as I like to call them. The distractions when I am pushing forward and am on a roll, but something interrupts my train of thinking…like a gnat flying around. Those are the worst for me because usually I lose the momentum of what I was thinking about and become focused on trying to get rid of the distraction. Before I started writing this piece in particular, my mind was full of gnats. I couldn’t settle down long enough to get my train of thought going. It was frustrating me. If it had not been for me disciplining myself to blog at least three times a week, I probably would have just quit for the day, and have tried to pick it back up tomorrow…maybe.
I guess distractions are necessary in life to test one’s discipline and willpower to work on following through on what they want. Also, getting past distractions can feel rewarding. When I realize that I am able to get past them and work on what I set out to do, I feel like I am capable of refocusing my energy towards the task at hand. I don’t know why GOD created gnats, but I’m sure they have a purpose just like distractions. I’m learning, even in this moment, that how I handle distractions says a lot about who I am and what I want to truly do with this time given to me. That encourages me to keep pushing forward and doing what I enjoy.
Earlier, when I couldn’t focus, I got worried briefly, because in the past, there had been plenty of times I allowed distractions to make me quit. Quitting because of a distraction made me realize that my heart really wasn’t into what I was doing in the first place. I don’t want that to happen with my writing. So for today, I can say I have the victory because, despite the distractions and lack of motivation, I stuck to it and got it done.