Tag Archive for: distractions

Prepare with Purpose

Lately, my life has been full of preparation.
Starting a new job, planning for Kyle and Emily’s wedding, upcoming talks, lessons and workshops, some travel, visitors, many meetings and the Christmas Light the World Charity Machines initiative.
Every morning, I prepare myself spiritually through prayer, scripture study, and journaling to plan for and prepare for the day ahead.
For me, preparation is everywhere right now.
But more than schedules and events, I’ve been thinking about how we prepare our hearts, for the future, for the Lord Jesus Christ, His second coming, and for the things that truly matter.

It’s Time

James E. Faust once told the story of a restaurant clock that stopped a few minutes after noon. The owner left it there because people kept coming in, thinking they were hungry just by looking at it.
It’s a reminder that some people are guided by broken clocks, or false signals that distract from what’s real, responding to external cues rather than internal conviction.
Are you living with broken clocks in your life?
We live in a world full of distractions, and yet I know that preparation helps me stay grounded.
Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon has given us a pattern for preparing for the Saviour’s second coming.
A significant part of the book focuses on the years just before Christ appeared in the Americas.
In that record, we see both destruction and deliverance.
Some were ready.
Some were not.
And what made the difference?
It was simply preparation.
Not just physically, but importantly, spiritually.
This morning, I am reminded of a verse in Alma 34:32: “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.”
That’s a key focus of preparation and it should be our why.
So, whatever you’re preparing for, a new semester at university, a new role, a major life event, or the quiet work of daily discipleship, my invitation is to prepare with intention.
Prepare with faith.
And prepare with the Spirit.
What are you doing today to prepare for what matters most?

Being Heard

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝?
Years ago, when training to be a coach, one of the first exercises we were encouraged to do in our practice sessions, was listening to another person for five minutes.
After listening for five minutes, the roles were reversed.
It involved paying close attention and actively listening.
As the short activity was debriefed, I can recall two insightful takeaways.
Firstly, during the short activity, some kind of internal distraction occurred, allowing the mind to drift, which took the attention of the listener away, even for a few nanoseconds at a time.
Secondly, when listening to someone intently, there was a strong tendency to want to add or share your own views on the topic being shared by interrupting.
For instance, have you ever sat in a café somewhere and been distracted by someone at another table, or been tempted to listen into someone else’s conversation instead?
Whilst listening intently to other’s it easy to get distracted by another thought popping into your head.
So – what can we do about it?
All of us at times are liable to be distracted.
The key is to notice it instantly and, in that moment, decide to let the thought go, rather than pursuing it further.
Real listening only happens when we pay attention and have a real desire to understand what we are hearing.
In turn, when people feel heard, they are more willing to listen.
Do you want to be heard?
#distractions

What path are you on in life?

Recently I was asked “Am I on the right path?”
Throughout my life I have observed that small course corrections, can make a dramatic difference to the success we have in our home, family and personal lives.
I recall a message by Dieter F. Uchtdorf who said: “Suppose you were to take off from an airport at the equator, intending to circumnavigate the globe, but your course was off by just one degree. By the time you returned to the same longitude, how far off course would you be? A few miles? A hundred miles? The answer might surprise you. An error of only one degree would put you almost 500 miles (800 km) off course, or one hour of flight for a jet.”
Clearly errors of only a few degrees, minor things even, can sometimes lead to terrible tragedies, disasters and the arrival at a different destination than the one you set out to achieve in the first place. “The longer we delay corrective action, the larger the needed changes become, and the longer it takes to get back on the correct course—even to the point where a disaster might be looming.”

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞?

What corrective actions do you need to take to get back on course?
Is it simply a matter of taking time to stop… reflect, consider and refocus on what really matters most?
What distractions are in your way?
Distractions: “a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something else”.
Benjamin Franklin stated ” We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour, each day, making choices. We choose the thoughts we allow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselves to feel and the actions we allow ourselves to perform. Each choice is made in the context of whatever value system we’ve selected to govern our lives. In selecting that value system, we are, in a very real way, making the most important choice we will ever make”.
As I have grown fond of repeatedly saying recently – your personal values are your sure compass in life. Be true to them, live them, honour them – they are essentially who you really are.
“May we always choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong” – Thomas S. Monson
From time to time, distractions and errors of judgement will happen.
We all need to accept that, there will occasionally be some moments of real serendipity along the way.
Be mindful to take corrective action, consider what really matters most, refocus and get back on the course that will enable you to arrive safely at your intended destination.
I am fond of a quote by Henry B Eyring, who said that “If you are on the right PATH, it will always be UPHILL” – How true that is!
Like my recent picture from Keukenhof below, there are many beautiful things to see and admire along the path that you choose to follow – if you will take the time to seek them out.
Where will your path lead you today?