Warm sun, long days, short nights. Maybe, if you were like me this weekend, you soaked in tons of summer sunshine.
That said, while basking in the sun I caught myself thinking about what else I should be doing. You, too?
My weekend list went on and on…until I noticed I was no longer feeling the warm rays on my skin or participating in the conversation. My mind had transported me into the house, about how the bathroom needs to be cleaned, about emails needing replies, about bills needing to be paid, about a blog post needing to be written.
Then I laughed at myself! My mind had completely wandered off and I was no longer experiencing what I had been enjoying and instead got sucked into the “vacuum of distraction.”
When we fully show up and when we’re fully present, then we’re giving 100% of ourselves to whatever we choose. And when we’re distracted, not only have we lost the moment’s pleasure but we’ve given away our will. Will is what allows us to make choice. Will is what gives us power. When we are distracted, it means we can't be fully behind what is happening now or what happens next.
But, we all get distracted, right? Of course. But what matters is that we become aware of our distraction. With that awareness, then can re-empower our choice and will.
Next time when you notice you are going off-course, whether it is in a meeting or in a conversation or when you’re laying in a beach chair, ask yourself “Is this what I want? Is this new path of thought or action aligned with what I had intended?” If it isn’t, then you’re awareness empowers your will to re-engage and for you to be 100% into what you’d already chosen. Alternatively, when asking these questions you discover this new path is aligned with what you had wanted or intended, then you are choosing a new focus. And—a new opportunity for inspiration!