From the moment we wake-up everyday, we are bombarded with words. The brilliance of modern technology has created an onslaught of words now subduing every crevasse of our lives. Our attention has never been in higher demand and our priorities are competing with each other from dusk to dawn. It never ends.
We must become more purposeful. We must live more intentionally. We must direct our energy to what matters most.
I love this reminder from Francis Chan, one of the greatest leaders in our world today: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”
Start choosing discipline over distraction. Here’s how:
- Break the Social Media Chains
Why? Let’s start with the negativity. Then the comparison spirit. Then the identity crisis that starts to connect to your number of followers or impressions. Then your paradigms and world-views that are being destroyed by whoever has the loudest voice in your feeds. As a result, your brain gets on information overload and you become a slave to reaction. It’s time to break the chains!
- Sleep
Get 7 – 8 hours every night. Stop the Netflix binge watching at night and read a book before bed. Fall asleep at 10PM and set your alarm for 5:30AM and watch your energy level skyrocket by making this change.
- Exercise in the Morning
It does so much for your heart and for your brain. If you start the day with a little movement, you catapult yourself into productivity.
- Hydrate
Have a water bottle with you at all times. Don’t let dehydration prevent you from having the energy you need and ultimately, being your best.
- Nourish
It is amazing what a green smoothie and some lean protein will do for your life. Do yourself a favor, buy a Vitamix. Not because it’s worth it. It’s not. You need to buy a Vitamix because when you spend $500 (or more) on a blender, you tend to use it more. It’s a reciprocity mindset. You did a favor for the blender by purchasing it, now the blender must do favors for you by making you healthy food to justify the outrageous amount of money you paid for it. That’s my theory.
- Cut the Sugar
You ever wonder why you crave chocolate at certain times and a Coke around the same time everyday? Our brains become addicted to the rush of endorphins they produce. Temporarily, we feel amazing, and then we hit a wall. Don’t make your body and mind endure those daily highs and lows that prevent you from productivity.
Addiction Replacement:
It’s time to replace our bad addictions with good addictions.
- Instead of being addicted to caffeine, become addicted to being who God created you to be.
- Instead of being addicted to sugar, become addicted to serving people and helping people.
- Instead of being addicted to tobacco, become addicted to giving generously.
- Instead of being addicted to social media, become addicted to self-development.
- Instead of being addicted to television, become addicted to reading and writing.
- Instead of being addicted to responding to your email right away, become addicted to investing in your future.
It’s true, we have control over almost every neurological input, and therefore, control of how we invest the 1,440 minutes we have today.
The choice is yours. Do your future self a favor and start choosing discipline over distraction.
-CK