"Everything else is a distraction."

 I am very grateful that I have my priorities set in life. I know what I want to do, where I want to go, and who I want to be. This realization did not happen overnight. I actually got started on working on myself and doing everything I need to do to improve myself after I got sober in late 2017. This meant going through a lot of trial and error, making lots of mistakes along the way, and doing a whole lot of soul searching. And listening.

 

That is what it took for me to finally get to the point where I am today. I also had a bit of inspiration from my loved ones on the other side. All of that work has helped me to become the person I am today.

 

But I’m not at the end of my journey yet. I still have a ways to go to get to where I want to be.

 

And because of this, it’s easier for me to turn away from anything that I know will take me off that path. I won’t allow anything into my life that I KNOW will disrupt my plans or the goals that I want to achieve.

 

I once saw a quote that pretty much serves as a reminder of the importance of staying true to my new path in life: “Focus on your goals. Everything else is a distraction.” This quote is a revised version of the Gary W. Keller quote: “Until my ONE thing is done, everything else is a distraction.”

 

I prefer the newer quote, because I have more than one goal, and not just one.

 

But anyway, this particular quote is the reason why I have said “no” to certain things that have come my way in recent months. I said “no” to a job opportunity that was not aligned with my goal. I have said “no” to participating in events that were not a part of who I was and what I wanted to be seen as. I have said “no” to being associated with things which do not align with my values. And I have said “no” to giving up. (Believe me, that temptation to give up has been strong, because I feel like it’s too late to do much of anything with my life.)

 

My saying “no” does not mean that I feel that something is bad or that I want to hurt someone’s feelings by turning something down. It’s just me staying true to the person that I want to be and staying focused on my goals.

 

Anything that takes me away from my goals will only slow me down or throw me off track. Anything that is not aligned with my path is just a distraction from it. Something that will only take me AWAY from my path, rather than help me move a little further along it.

 

This is why I changed my routine with the freelance writing. I know what I need to do and how to get there.

 

I just need to keep working on it. I’m not there yet, but if I stay focused and avoid distractions, I know I will eventually reach the end of my journey and achieve my goals. I will become the person that I want to be. It will just take some time to get there.

 

Meanwhile, I’m saying “no” to everything else that is not a part of that future which I am trying to build.