Stay on Task!

If you watch or listen to any media that contains advertisements, you have heard commercials and other messages telling us all kinds of lies, as if they’re true. For example: ” We know you need dependable TV 24/7.”  “These days you can’t go anywhere without your phone.” “We all want to widen our experience.”

They tell us that, in order to be well-rounded, broad-minded and cool, we should experience as much as possible. They say it’s bad to stay stuck in your little world, because this makes you narrow-minded, ignorant and wrong. They say it is better to have all kinds of experiences, because then we can understand all kinds of people.

Really? Is that true? Is it necessary to travel to other countries and to observe people from other cultures in order to be tolerant and respectful of them? Is it necessary to gain a lot of weight in order to understand the feelings of an obese person? Is it necessary to have gay sex in order to appreciate the rights and feelings of homosexuals?

To be fair, some people are so insensitive to the underclass that they would benefit by living, for a while, among uneducated, backward and violent people. They may need this experience in order to learn compassion or to know how others think and feel. 

But apart from that extreme example, let’s imagine a young adult who insists on having lots of experiences, and cannot decide on a career. She wants to be a nurse, do fine art or design buildings, but also make a lot of money. Not having found her way in life, and still believing that the broadening of experience is super important, will she ever learn that such a belief is destroying her ability to make a decision and to get focused?

Successful people do not try to do everything. They choose a path and stay on it. They resist the temptation to take side trips to this or that irrelevant destination. They reject ideas that distract them from accomplishing their purpose. They have well-defined goals and a system of action for achieving them.

If you are having trouble focusing or deciding on a direction in life, keep the following in mind. 

Set a goal which lines up with your strengths and abilities, and which adds value to the lives  of others. 
Focus intensely on your goal and on the action steps needed to reach the goal. 
Accept and learn to appreciate the fact that you can’t do everything or have everything. 
Understand the truth that with every choice comes a cost.
Have your fun times, but do not let playtime hinder your progress. 
Reject the temptation to broaden experience merely for its own sake.
Avoid people who give you messages that lead you to doubt yourself.
Surround yourself with people who are smarter and more successful than you are.
Find a role model who will inspire you. This could be a real person, someone you know, or a historical figure.

Actually, there’s a lot more to it, and if you’d like to explore this important issue in depth, feedback from a trusted friend could be of great help. But if you’d prefer to consult a professional, please feel free to reach out. The phone number is (219) 309-3928. I’d be honored to be of assistance.

For more thoughts, click here Beyond Limitations.

Thanks for reading!