“Stay on Target! Stay on Target!”
These words were spoken by a pilot in the run to destroy the Death Star in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope.” Some days, I feel like getting through this winter holidays, in particular, is like that death run. There are all sorts of fighters trying to distract me from my goals and focus. So many different things for me to pay attention to that seem critical instead of the goals I have.
It is easy to get distracted as social media and traditional media bombard us with all the things we have to have, all the places we should give our time, and all the horrible things that continue to go on in this world. The reminders of isolation, politics, and all the chaos in the world right now can be draining on us. Not to mention all the people who are trying to make it look as if they are having a “normal” holiday and end up reminding us that we can’t visit our loved ones and friends.
All these things attach themselves to use and grab a bit of our energy and attention. We live in a world with lots of people and emotions grabbing our attention and many things that we pay attention to. It’s normal to have things grab our attention, and it’s also normal to want to pull our energy back to ourselves and disconnect from that which is trying to get our attention.
Sometimes those connections are to things that we don’t really care about, and sometimes they are. Even with the closest relationships, it’s good to know what comes from you and what comes from someone else. I previously posted an exercise to help you draw your energy back to yourself on my WordPress blog.
But how do we prevent these connections from forming in the first place? When I figure that out, I’ll let you know!
In the meantime, we can do the best we can to identify the sources of these unwanted connections and minimize the chances that they will form. Turn on time limits on your social media if you can, and honor them. Read a physical book, get outside, spend time with people in your bubble. Do something to connect to the world around you as much as you can.
Keep recharging the good connections – to your friends and family – and try your best to avoid the bad connections.
We will get through this.
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