life: acoustic & amplified

distractions

I am signed up to get a lot of daily, weekly, occasional inspiring emails. There is sooooo much out there which is inspiring and uplifting and many of these emails are so great. They help me focus, start my day with new and wonderful thoughts and also make me think about my life,challenge me to continue to learn, stay aware of who I am and how I have decided to live my life and keep me open to all sorts of points of view. Yet, they can also be a distraction from actually getting things done. I always have to make sure they are in their place and not keeping me from my work or my life, but enhancing both of those things.

A couple of days ago, one of my very favorite poets of all time, and my spiritual mentor, Steve Garness-Holmes talked about busyness in his poem post on the subject of Advent called Pregnant Pause, here is a little of his amazing insight (read full post at www.unfoldinglight.net )

We are in a hurry. We drive fast, even up to a red light. We hate standing in line. We “keep busy.” We’re like kids whining int he back seat, “Are we there yet?”

Well, we are there yet.  We are here now.  But we’re so busy being busy, and whining about it, that we don’t notice. Our busyness is not fruitfulness; it’s fear.  We’re afraid of the stillness, afraid of the dark, afraid of what might come up in the silence. We’re afraid of not being in control and of being dependent, afraid of not knowing.  We keep busy to stay unconscious.

Advent invites us into the dark, into the silence, into wakefulness.  It is a time of preparing, yes, but also of waiting.  Just sitting.  Doing nothing, just being.  It’s like being pregnant.  God is doing miraculous things in us, and in the world, and there’s nothing we can do to make it happen or hasten.  Like Mary, we just wait. Not wanting the child to be born prematurely, we wait the whole term. We enter into the mystery of not being in control, the darkness of trusting what is coming without seeing it, the silence of listening for what is beyond words. We enter into the stillness of paying attention. And we “wait upon the Lord.”

Each day, give some time to pause. Be free of the attachments of this world. Step out of the prison of busyness, the chains of having to justify yourself.  Let go and be still.  Deep within, let the miraculous child come to you.  Wake up in the dark.  Watch and listen.  Trust what is coming.  Don’t be afraid to wait. Perhaps then the day—even today—will not catch you unexpectedly like a trap but unwrap itself like a long-awaited gift.

Yesterday, in another inspiring daily note, one of my top favorites, Mastin Kipp, and his blog The Daily Love ( http://thedailylove.com/ ) talked about distractions and what it distracting from really stepping into our purpose.

There are SO many excuses that can distract us from our calling!

Here are some:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Email

Over giving to others

Making other people more important than ourselves

Watching TV

Too much socializing

Eating

Drinking

Sleeping

Drugs

Toxic relationships

Putting things off until tomorrow!

There is a rich gift within you that the world NEEDS you to give us. You don’t even recognize your power or importance. But it’s there and it’s waiting to be born. And the thing is that the world will not tell you this – only the subtle whisper within you does. And perhaps a good friend or two. Or an inspiring book or story that you read.

But in order to create this gift, in order to give birth to it… YOU must let go of all distractions.

Seriously, how much time do you spend on the above things? And how much time do you spend ACTUALLY creating or giving your gift?

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This bring anything into focus for you? It has for me! I believe you can have anything you want, but not everything you want! It’s up to me to choose what I want to create! then focus and do it! Good stuff!!!!!