Know your enemy and yourself and you don‘t have to fear the outcome of 100 battles. - Sun Tzu The art of war
Today I want to talk about one of our most dangerous enemies: diversion.
Do you recognise this too? You get up with élan (let‘s do big things) and... in the evening you find yourself being tired, entangled in thousand small things, which were all sooo urgent and sooo demanding to be done (or which were just attracting ;-) and which in the end only distract you from your main target?
Emails which need to be checked, the phone call which took longer than expected, the little time you spent on television (One has to be informed!) or only five minutes Doctor‘s Diary (or rather Doctor‘s diarrhoe ;-)?), a short chat with the neighbour, the prolonged coffee brake with a colleague, the interesting headline in the magazine lying open on the table... and the day is over again, your motivation of this morning history and your great plans have to wait (again) for tomorrow.
How many of your targets survive the daily haze?
How many do shine through the dust of oblivion?
And now I am not only talking about yoga related targets but also about commonplace topics!
The solution: focus!
What does that mean? What kind of processes are behind this martially sounding noun? The following 5 steps:
1.- First of all make a list of all your options! List everything what is on your mind right now.
2.- Important: chose only one thing!
3.- Of course, your choice is decisive and should not entirely be based on yesterday‘s priorities or on the apparently important things of today. Use the power of your subconsciousness and use your intuition. If your intuition happens to be off duty today ;-) ask yourself some of these helping questions:
- Does this really have to be done?
- And if yes, does it have to be right now?
- What would happen if I didn‘t do it now?
- Do I personally have to do this or can I delegate it somehow?
- What exactly is my ambition?
- Does that what I am about to do help to get to/reach my target?
4.- Ok, now that you have chosen one, stick to it, do it and don‘t lose track of it. If you have problems staying focused, read my next article on simple concentration techniques.
5.- That implies to actively reject absolutely anything else for the time being! You have to remember this: focus means concentration, condensation and reduction of choices. Practise contentment and concentration, focus on one aim and everything will be all right.
I can hear you already: "for a certain time"... how long exactly is a certain time? I don‘t live in a monastery, I have to get done a thousand things!. I can understand your anger - but please give me time till one of my next articles!
However, until then I recommend a simple but essential test: analyse your current situation and compare it to your target-picture.We should do this often and regularly and especially when we don‘t know any more how close we have come to the realisation of our goals - or when we have forgotten parts of our objectives and accordingly, as a matter of fact, have lost most of the vigour and our daily focus.
You're still not there, then keep on!
Have you finally arrived at last? Check it off and immediately set the next goal!
And once again: all this does not only go for your yoga practice (e.g. 2 asanas daily / 30 minutes meditation / concentration - practice / whatever) but for everything you are aiming for- from staying calm and composed in the course of the day to exercise more or eating less sweets... your objectives are only stages on your way, they are to be reached in this live and should not remain idealised dreams.
Seems like a lifetime ago I took and then helped teach a class called "7 Habits of highly effective people". Still a best seller in the U.S. of A I think I can remember my 7 habits...LOL
ReplyDeleteI stole this from their webpage
The 7 Habits
The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e. self mastery)
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Synopsis: Taking initiative in life by realizing your decisions (and how they align with life's principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Taking responsibility for your choices and the subsequent consequences that follow.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Synopsis: Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Synopsis: Planning, prioritizing, and executing your week's tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluating if your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you towards goals, and enrich the roles and relationships elaborated in Habit 2.
The next three have to do with Interdependence (i.e. working with others)
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Synopsis: Genuinely striving for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Valuing and respecting people by understanding a "win" for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten his way.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be understood
Synopsis: Using empathetic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, respect, and positive problem solving.
Habit 6: Synergize
Synopsis: Combining the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone. How to yield the most prolific performance out of a group of people through encouraging meaningful contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.
The last habit relates to self-rejuvenation;
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Synopsis: The balancing and renewal of your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable long-term effective lifestyle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People#The_7_Habits
https://www.stephencovey.com/
of course the most effective person of all time, Jesus, left us a nice book to help us with these struggles.
Hugs,
Jeanne