Bold Statement Coming Up
Time is not money or our most precious resource.
Whatever we do or do not, time marches on regardless. So, we can waste time or use it to our advantage. The only way to do that effectively is to focus, and I mean really focus our attention on what we want to achieve. With laser-focused energy on any task or interaction we can achieve a significant impact in a minimal amount of time. In other words, get on with it, time moves on no matter what we do or the way we do things. If we can’t find ways to move on, no amount of time will make a difference.
I Haven’t Got Time
What are we saying? When people say they haven’t got time, what they are really putting out there is, they don’t want to think about it now. Focusing on not thinking about something with enough energy and emotion inevitably creates a wiring system in the mind and we create more of the same. What we resist, we attract. Same old, same old negative thoughts that give birth to more of the same.
Staying Topical
“The common flu virus will infect millions across the globe. It can be easily spread and will especially strike the young and the elderly. But this is not what has been described as the Wuhan virus. The common flu is far deadlier. This is not to downplay the Wuhan coronavirus flu, or to give it its medical name, 2019-nCoV”.
The common flu causes up to 5 million cases of serious illness worldwide and kills up to 650,000 people annually, according to the World Health Organization .
Of course, we need to listen to sensible advice about protecting ourselves from 2019-nCoV but what I’m seeing here in France and globally is nothing short of unhealthy panic fed by negative thinking and misinformation.
People are staying away from medical appointments when they might need genuine treatment for other conditions yet medical professionals have raised their usual cleanliness standards. Their clinics are probably the safest places to visit even though there is always a risk of catching something.
Off The Negative Bandwagon
We cannot help the world or ourselves if we focus on the negative things in life. By doing so, we add to them and bring more negatives into our own lives. If we are busy worrying because a pandemic has been declared, how will we get things done?
I noticed a social media comment a few hours ago that said, “Oh no! We have a pandemic on our hands”. It wasn’t a sarcastic comment. I wonder how that statement will impact his life, yet I feel compassion and send positive thoughts toward that person. No amount of focusing on the problems out there in the world will bring solutions unless we are scientists researching a vaccine.
Directing Our Attention
By recognizing the importance of working at our ability to direct our attention to the things that will positively carry us forward and avoid unhelpful distractions we are feeding success. To do this effectively we need to manage our emotions.
Psychologist Victor Johnston described emotions as “discriminant hedonic amplifiers”. What he meant by that was that emotions boost various signals in our mental landscape and draw our attention toward issues and events. The opposite of course is that they also take our attention away from the things that need to be done. Emotions are attention magnets and the polarity is not always positive.
The awareness and management of our emotions are central to the productive use of our time and attention.
Practical Steps
Disconnect
- WhatsApp pinged a moment ago. I’m ignoring it. I should have switched off the volume, I forgot. Now it’s off.
- Whatever is happening in the world is happening. If I really want to know, it will be there later. Switch off news devices.
- Who just commented on that social media post I commented on yesterday? Do I really need to know?
Work On Self
- I work on simple meditation and grounding exercises every day, sometimes more than once.
- Time in nature promotes well-being
- I care about what I eat and drink and try to avoid the “bad stuff”.
- Personal development not less than 20-minutes every day feeds my personal growth.
- A current training program contributes to my intellectual and work-related skills growth.
- I keep a journal of thoughts and feelings that crop up during the day and end each day with gratitude for the wonderful things that have happened.
Don’t Try To Multi-Task
Multi-tasking results in considerable inefficiencies when we switch contexts. This creates a loss of focus.
Sacred Space
We all have considerable demands on our time that can’t be ignored. Here’s the however . . . At the start of each day I block a period that nobody can touch. During this time, I may be drafting an idea or planning a project. It doesn’t matter what it is, I use the time positively on something that will carry me forward.
If we recognize and praise everything positive in our world, negativity and discord dissolve. Time becomes an ally and there is time for everything.
Harmony, balance and discord are an inside job. Cooperating with them proactively feeds the seeds of success.
Tools That Help
Relating to these there are plenty of tools that can help with your Personal Growth and Development. If you would like a free 20-minute coaching session on some of these, please leave your contact details in the comments and you will receive a prompt response.
Toolbox
There are many ways to effectively explore and advance your Personal Development in any area of life that matters to you. A box of tools to challenge the boundaries and move forward toward realizing success is extremely beneficial.
If you feel that you may benefit from help in any area with more than a 20-minute consult, please leave your contact details in the comments section below and you will be contacted by your preferred method. Please understand that your contact details will never be published, and your privacy is assured.
More Information
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Comments and Questions
Leave yours below. Your thoughts or questions may well ignite a positive spark in other readers thinking. You will always receive a prompt response to your questions and there is no such thing as a bad question; only the one that was never asked.
Namasté
I bow to the place in you that is love, light, and joy
Peace & Light
Steve Costello is a British Community & Youth Studies and Psychology honors graduate with over 30-years theoretical and practical experience in the Personal Development public and private sectors. He founded ExGro in 2018 with business partner, friend and clinical psychologist, Leo Faerberg.