In the last blog I wrote about beginning new routines in our lives. I truly hope that you are beginning to look at your own life and practices in order to do some evaluation and planning. What goals might you set for yourself? What are some new, or improved, disciplines that would benefit you personally, relationally or professionally? Make a note of those in which you see some potential. Then make a plan to bring it to fruition.

Uh-oh. I can hear it already. You know what you’d like to do, but… There are some things that would benefit your family, if only… Some great changes could happen, if money grew on trees…

There are lots of (intangible) reasons not to start new disciplines. Our culture is filled with very attractive distractions. If they weren’t attractive it would be so much easier to ignore them! Think about it, how many people want to go to the gym but it sure is hard to get up off the couch and put on the tennis shoes!

Do you ever get distracted by:

• Your phone. I mean, really? How many hours are used/wasted by the average adult looking at social media, playing games, checking email, texting friends and family, checking your investments? And that doesn’t even begin to take into account how many hours are wasted on phones by our children.
• Television. Most people used to think that having cable at home offered pretty much too many options for watching. But now all of the streaming services that are either free or we subscribe to make the cable offerings look puny by comparison! Oh, and how many hours of football do we watch in the Fall and Winter?

You get the idea. My wife just pointed out to me that prioritizing is an art. And she’s right. When we take any of these possible distractions, and others, in manageable doses, there’s nothing wrong with them. However, when we choose to be undisciplined and give in to binge watching or scrolling for hours, then these things begin to consume time that we could otherwise put to beneficial use…if we prioritize. Here’s a hint that you can put to good use today: Tell your mate that you want to make some changes in these time-wasters and ask for their help and support in making the changes. Ask them to keep you accountable…and then don’t get upset with them when they do!

Let me give you a personal example. As I have mentioned before, I love to read. I work to discipline myself in terms of getting varied topics read each year. However, I am sometimes prone to keep reading something that I am enjoying rather than prioritizing my to-do list. Reading might be entertaining and even informative, but a good book can keep me from mowing the lawn, or getting the oil changed in the car, or researching that Life Coaching or Counseling subject that I need to know more about.

Does any of this sound familiar? I want to reinforce the topic of getting started with new and better routines and disciplines by encouraging each of you to pay attention to those things that might hinder you from reaching your goals. Again, your phone or the TV isn’t inherently evil, but it can become a bad influence when used wrongly.

I encourage clients to write things down fairly often. Putting something down on paper gives it a greater weight in terms of getting on our radar and getting done. So, consider your goals for the coming months and years. Write down some of the things you want to get started in your life. But be sure to add this: What are some things that could very well keep you from accomplishing them? Write them down. This keeps both the goals and the distractions in focus. Be more aware of both what you want to accomplish and what you want to avoid.

I guide clients in this all the time. If you want to accomplish more in your life and want to have help, support and accountability get in touch with me. We can communicate what you want to see happen in your life, find out if we’re a good fit to work together and get going!

Chuck Phillips, Licensed Christian Pastoral Counselor, N.C.C.A. Board Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach, I.B.C.C.

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