DISTRACTIONS

A man was complaining to Pedro, ‘my child is perpetually distracted’.  Pedro queried, ‘positive distractions or negative distractions?’ The man stopped playing with his mobile and said, ‘what did you say?’

A distraction is something that takes your attention away from what you are supposed to be doing. If you cannot keep from checking your social networking forums every ten minutes, that's a distraction that's going to interfere with your other priorities – family, work, passions, people.

However a distraction can also be a refreshing change. If you are worried about your presentation tomorrow, watching a mindless show on TV may be a welcome distraction that helps you relax. Actually the word comes from the Latin dis(apart) and trahere(drag). So distraction is when you're dragged away from your task or from your worries.

Positive distractions divert you from negativity and help you emerge refreshed to take on priorities. These include choices like going on a trek, playing sports, attending dance or singing classes, watching entertainment, pursuing some hobby or even talking with friends and family. Social networking sites, television, gadgets can easily turn negative distractions when done in excess. However, when indulged in moderation, they can be refreshing too.

Each one is a multi-layered individual. We play many roles and cope with varied challenges and pied priorities. The key to happiness and success is to involve in multiple positive distractions. If we do not choose positive distractions, we will tend to be attracted to negative distractions and allow them to turn into bad habits that take focus off our task.

We must identify what makes us happy and at the same time it does not estrange us from the people we love or distance us from the things we really want to do. We must unite these positive distractions to impact our focus on our own chosen priorities. Then, we would not have time and space for worries or negative distractions to intrude, except moderated indulgences.

Hobby, leisure, relationships are positive distractions
‘unite to impact’ the focus on priorities sans tension!

                              

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.