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FIGHTING THROUGH THE NOISE
In the 80s I went to college at Oregon State University (OSU).
By the way, side note, can I say the 80’s was a great decade. I loved the music, the hair (I even had some then), and the styles. I graduated from high school in 1982, met my beautiful wife Leah in 1986, graduated college in 1987, was married in 1987, and we were expecting our daughter Kyla in 1989. Yes, it was a great decade!
LOST IN THE NOISE
Anyway, I digress, upon entry to OSU I really had no real idea what I wanted out of life other than to graduate and get a good job. I had no focus, no discipline, and definitely no study habits. I was just living life by the seat of my pants, which is my nature, and I thought all was good.
I joined a fraternity, played a lot of basketball at the rec center, and partied every weekend. Slowly but surely, I lost my way. I was definitely lost and befuddled.
It became obvious within my first year that my approach was not a winner, at least not if I wanted to stay in school. I learned very quickly that without a real plan and purpose I was easily distracted by the social side of college life. I had no real direction.
My life was a mess. My head was constantly pounding and the noise was unrelenting. Oh sure, I tried to cover up my pain and confusion, but masking it with distractions only made it worse. I was lost and needed purpose and direction. The year was 1986, and change was coming.
There was some good. I enjoyed the friends I made and the brotherhood. I have always loved to connect and make friends.
In fact, to this day I have lifelong friends from my years in the fraternity house, but I was not mature enough or disciplined enough at 18 to enjoy the good without embracing the bad and getting off track.
Fraternity life turned out to be a loud distraction for me.
My life was mostly one big distraction, and I allowed it. It was a choice I made.
But still I continued on.
I made enough changes to get my grades up a bit and stay in school, but I just couldn’t find my groove.
After 4 years of college, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to graduate or where I was really headed! Entering my fifth year, yes, I was on the 5-year plan, God blessed me with this young lady named Leah, my beautiful wife, now, of almost 33 years. We started dating and got engaged. I suddenly had a specific purpose in life. During this time, I also found what I believe is the most important purpose, and that is a relationship with Jesus. It gave me hope and a clear direction of what I wanted out of life.
With my newfound purpose, I narrowed down my degree options and focused my studies. I changed my activity pattern and suddenly I was heading in a positive direction with an end goal in sight.
I remember the biology class I was taking at the time. I actually began to really study, not just fake it, and the first test I took was amazing. I actually knew the answers to the test. I thought, “Wow! This studying thing really works.”
Not long after graduation I got a great job. Leah and I were married, and now we have a wonderful family. But it took work, focus, and intent.
It took many major events and the right people in my life to make a change. I had to focus and be intentional with my choices and direction.
THANK GOD I DID IT, AND SO CAN YOU!
In the next few years, I made significant changes, started making better choices and fought through the noise to clarity.
Where are you?
Do you feel you are
constantly fighting through the noise?
Do you need clarity?
Are you fighting your way through life trying to make sense of everything around you? Are you stressed and discouraged with life? Do you often wake up groggy, foggy and Befuddled? Are you lacking clear purpose and direction and wondering what in the world you’re thinking; where time is going; what do I really want to do when I grow up?
GOOD NEWS…
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE!
Years ago, my wife Leah and I lived and worked in Portland Oregon. When I first began working downtown, I thought it was all cool and fun. Leah also worked downtown and we enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city life; or so we thought.
Then our first child arrived and, suddenly, the hustle and bustle of city life became a hassle. We were overwhelmed with noise, confusion, and stress. We needed a change.
We ended up moving to a smaller town and slowing down our life to focus on our family. I was able to eventually get a job in the same city and be close to the family.
WE EXERCISED OUR POWER OF CHOICE
AND CHANGED OUR SITUATION.
So often our world swirls around us with unrelenting noise, and we get stuck in a befuddled state. It can be a way of life if you’re not careful. Life is happening so fast. It often seems like a blur. So how do we fight through and gain some control and life balance? By changing and making intentional good choices.
IT IS UP TO YOU!
Change doesn’t usually come easy.
In fact, it’s often very difficult.
Without knowing our “Why” in life and having clarity of direction, we are subject to the trappings of the world around us. There are so many voices vying for our attention and shouting at us to follow them.
Technology is one of the loudest voices with Social Media, Podcasts, YouTube, Google. Who do you believe?
The information highway can be a blessing and a curse with information always at our fingertips. It also brings voices, shouting at us to do this, be this, believe this.
But, is any of it true?
With all the distractions, how do you stay focused on your real purpose and goals? The following are three things that can help you start your day focused and on track:
1.Start your day free of technology and social media
2.Enjoy some quiet and peaceful time
3.Recalibrate your mind to focus on the new day ahead
START YOUR DAY FREE OF
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
When you start your day free of technology and social media, you give your brain a chance to focus, relax and get recharged for the new day ahead free of distractions and noise. It is a chance to focus your thoughts and attention on something positive and center yourself and your attitude.
Meditation is a good replacement for technology and also a great way to unbefuddle your thoughts. Whether you meditate through prayer or just solitude and quiet, it is a way free of the noise to get yourself headed your desired direction.
ENJOY SOME QUIET AND PEACEFUL TIME
Enjoying peace and quiet is essential to the success you have focusing on life and all it can bring. I love to take an early morning walk to clear my head. It is so quiet and peaceful. We all need that quiet moment.
When we skip this and jump right into the noise, our life can seem out of control, and noise definitely promotes the befuddled state! We need quiet and time to hear ourselves think.
If we are at peace with God and ourselves, we can focus, meditate on positive thoughts and be real with ourselves. Then, we can see who we really are and not who we want others to see.
RECALIBRATE YOUR MIND TO FOCUS ON THE NEW DAY AHEAD
Recalibration is so important to the direction we are heading. When we recalibrate, we can focus so much better on life and the job at hand.
Getting enough rest and starting each day with time to get our bearings and get started on the right foot. We need to recalibrate because as life continues to throw things at us, we need to hold on and stay on track to be consistent.
START YOUR DAY FREE OF
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
ENJOY SOME QUIET AND PEACEFUL TIME
RECALIBRATE YOUR MIND TO
FOCUS ON THE NEW DAY AHEAD
LIFE DIRECTION
It is a sad statement that many of us are living just to make it through the day. We are living from paycheck to paycheck. We are living for the weekend.
So how are you living?
We let life pass us by without direction or a real purpose.
MANY OF US ARE BEFUDDLED AND
GOING NOWHERE AT TOP SPEED!
Steven Curtis Chapman, a Contemporary Christian Artist, has a great song called “More to This Life.” The lyrics say …
“But...