Category: motivation

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motivation

The Lure of Screens

The Lure of Screens

Screens are all around us. They became, even more, a part of us in the last two years. We use them to communicate with our schools and workplaces while hunkering down at home. Screens have been a part of our work and play. They have even become a part of our churches. It is no wonder we have an issue when it comes to the lure of screens.

Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, came out before the Pandemic. But its message is more appropriate for today.

“One of the main obstacles to going deep: the urge to turn to something more superficial.”

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. New York, NY: Grand Central, 2016. 

Discerning the Superficial

The problem today is that superficiality is much more subtle. One moment, we can be in the middle of research for work or school. The next moment, we are distracted by an online ad that popped up in the middle of the research.

I have been working from home for the last couple of weeks. One challenge I have had is a slow VPN. I need to connect to it for work. But the connection can be very slow. While I wait for the computer to catch up, I have to discern what I can do while waiting.

We can be very distracted from deep work when we are working on computers. If the connection is slow, we can be challenged by the lure of another screen. We have no shortage of screens these days. If a computer is slow, there is always the phone or television to check on.

“The lure of the Internet and televison proved especially strong.”

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. New York, NY: Grand Central, 2016. 

Between our temptation to multitask and the lure of yet another screen, we can find ourselves being lured away from deep work. When we try to rely on willpower, we often find that it is limited and as the day progresses, we are more apt to give in to our desire to be distracted. Very few of us have the luxury to be marooned on a desert island.

Guy on desert island: Three days earlier, Gary asked God to eliminate from his life all temptation.

Screens lure us. After all, you may have been lured here as you waited for your computer too. We are all prone to be distracted. Tomorrow, I’ll look into some solutions to our distraction dilemma.

Categories
Book Review motivation

Pay Attention

Pay Attention!

Today, we will have many distractions. We have them every day. Our phones will buzz. At work, a coworker will change our focus because something is hot. They will come to us either in person or by some electronic means. Of course, their concern is the most important to them, but we may have others demanding the same precious amount of attention. In a world full of distractions, how do we know what we should pay attention to?

If we’re not careful, we can be dragged in so many directions that nothing of value gets done. The Book, Deep Work, by Cal Newport, opened my eyes to this challenge. This quote summed it up for me.

“We tend to place a lot of empasis on our circumstances, assuming that what happens to us (or fails to happen) determines how we feel.”

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central, 2016. 

Swayed by Circumstances

When I thought this phrase, I pondered how silly that could be. Circumstances happen all the time. Many of them are out of our control. We can’t predict how others are going to react. A supply chain has so many links, no one can control how or when supplies will get to us. We thought we could rely on it until we couldn’t. Were we ever really in control, or did we buy into the illusion of control?

If we focus on circumstances, we will be swayed by bad news, others’ demands, and the whims of fate and fortune. But what if we are on the right track and circumstances haven’t yet caught up with the future results? We can give up way before it is time.

Eye on the Prize

Pay attention! If we focus on our circumstances, how we feel, and the distractions of others, we are going to get off track very quickly. While we need to acknowledge our feelings, is far better to manage them and keep our eye on the prize. It will give us endurance and will help give us strength under pressure.

Cartoon of a jogging couple

Cal’s book focuses on the digital distractions that keep us from doing deep, meaningful work. People as well as a buzzing phone with the latest distraction can equally keep us from paying attention. This week, I’m going to keep my focus on this particular topic.

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motivation

Making Rash Decisions

Making Rash Decisions

This morning, I was reading about Jacob and Esau. It is a great story on the perils of making rash decisions. Esau was a guy who sold his birthright because he was hungry. He then married two women who were conveniently nearby. Then when Jacob deceives him a second time, Esau is ready for murder. It’s a lot of rash decisions in three chapters of Genesis.

There are two types of decision makers. Some of us take the time to review all the facts, perspectives and and possibilities. Then there are those of us who go with the gut and what we feel in the moment. Neither approach is always the best way.

Information Overload!

If we tend to gather as much information as possible, we can be in trouble in a world of too much information. Thanks to the Internet, we can find far more stats, figures and opinions than ever before.

It can be equally challenging when some information contradicts another set of facts and figures. One problem of the Internet is that anyone can spew facts and figures without accountability. Is that little fact really correct? Where did it come from? How can we know it’s accurate or even true?

Heaven help us! It can paralyze us from making any decision.

Go With the Gut?

If we’re stuck with too much information, is making a rash decision the way to go? Our emotions are not always right. Esau gave away his future because he was hungry. Emotional decisions we make today may look like foolishness. Temptation is a lousy decision maker. Should we really eat that whole bag of chips right before bed? And why not stay up to watch that show we’ve been meaning to catch up on? We don’t really feel tired anyway.

The next thing we know, it’s five in the morning, we feel bloated and discouraged. That didn’t go the way we would have liked! But our gut said go for it, right?

Discernment

It can be tough to have discernment. I’ve been thinking about discernment for some time. After all, my stomach has made too many decisions for my brain!

From a 2007 sketchbook on temptation and making decisions

Discernment can be hard. Who should we believe and who should be be skeptical about? Is this a great business decision, but it goes against our values? Should we wait until we get a little light on the situation?

We need a little healthy skepticism, even when our source of information confirms what we want to hear. There is a time to go with our guts, and a time to wait and see. The important decisions need to take time and fact-gathering. While the short-term decisions can have a little spontaneity. I think I’ll go get some breakfast. But I’ll do so in a way that won’t sell off my birthright!

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growth motivation

Getting Older or Getting Old

Aging is inevitable. We start getting older the minute we are born. Of course, as children we keep growing and learning. But as adults, we have a choice to continue to grow, or just get old.

www.brainyquote.com/s/a_195fc

Too many of us decide once school is over, there is nothing to learn. We live on knowledge that is stale and affected by time. Life gives us some bumps and bruises along the way. We learn to fear some things and become bitter about other things.

It is our choice. Are you getting better or worse? We can continue to learn and grow. The body may be giving us issues, but our minds are always ready to learn. Our spirits can soar above the tragedies and disappointments of this world. We can decide to become better instead of bitter.

Each day, we have a choice to grow. There are several things we can do today to make that happen.

  • Read a book
  • Keep a journal
    • It can be written, or drawn
    • It can contain scraps of paper notes or photos like a scrapbook
    • If nothing else, write down what you are thankful for
  • Take up a new hobby
  • Consider other opinions
  • Laugh! Yes, find something to laugh about in good humor

We can have a growth mindset. Every one of us is getting older. But none of us have to just get old!

Categories
motivation

Stop Making Excuses

Stop Making Excuses

There will be some challenges and problems. Have you noticed that? They especially like to show up on a Monday morning. But if we want to get anywhere, we have to stop making excuses. A quote by George Washington Carver reminds me that finding blame is nothing more than a bad habit.

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/george_washington_carver_158549, accessed January 10, 2022.

A while back, I read a book entitled, QBQ: The Question Behind the Question. The premise of the book is when we face a challenge, the questions we ask ourselves determines whether we take personal accountability or not.

Bad Questions

  • When is someone going to do something about this?
  • Why can’t that other group get their act together?
  • Who messed up?

Good Questions

  • What can I do to solve this?
  • How can I find a solution?
  • How can I make a difference?

Do we play the victim, or do we make things better? Is it possible a bad habit of making excuses drags us into a victim and entitlement mindset? I say the answer is yes.

We can choose to succeed by ditching the excuses. It starts with the questions we ask ourselves when we face a challenge. And the questions we ask can be a habit. Let’s do what we can today to make a positive impact instead of playing the blame game.