How to Find Direction in a World of Distractions

You are addicted.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

We live in a world full of addicts.

Addicts who are addicted to distractions. Numbing themselves so they don’t have to face reality.

• TVs. Phones. Laptops. iPads.

• Netflix. Hulu. YouTube. Instagram. TikTok.

• Video games.

• Online shopping.

• Addictive high calorie, low nutritional value foods everywhere.

• Little to no exercise. Just sitting in your chair at your desk. Doing what you do.

• No connection to the outside world.

• Lack of deep relationships.

I like to call it: extreme consumerism.

Not consumerism solely defined by buying the latest and greatest gadget, or clothes, or shoes, or video game…..no.

Consumption in all aspects of life. All of the above. All of which is hindering you from achieving your full potential.

You consume from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. A constant stream of dopamine hits.

These things are fine in moderation, and can actually serve us well if used correctly. But most people are addicted and overindulge.

And it’s sickening….

Sickening because they’re missing out on life itself.

Even more sickening because we’ve done this to ourselves.

Sure, you can say that the collective “they” have made us addicted to cheap pleasures.

“They” as in society, or the powers that be….

But the truth is, you always have a choice.

You can choose to live in the real world - to put your phone down and actually live how YOU want to live, not how society at large is telling you to live or how people on the internet are making you think you have to live.

Don’t get me wrong, it can be hard…

Everywhere you look, distractions are trying to pin you down in the “unconscious middle”, preventing you from actually achieving your goals. The goals that 10 year old you dreamed of accomplishing…

(more on the “unconscious middle" here: work hard or rest hard. nothing in between.)

So how do you do it?

How do you find the path to get to the life YOU want to live?

How do you become unaddicted?

How do you remove all of these distractions when they’re seemingly omnipresent and unavoidable?

1. guard your attention at all costs.

Attention is the most valuable asset in the world.

You’re choosing to give it away blindly for cheap blips of dopamine.

You might be thinking, “damn. yea, that’s true and frankly, pretty bleak….so how did we get here?”

• The internet.

• Social media.

• Advances in technology.

• The current state of the modern society.

Are these things inherently good or bad? No. They’ve just amplified our own human nature. We’ve never had access to this amount of readily available dopamine in the history of humankind. And for that reason, we need to put in conscious effort to control what and how much we consume on a day-to-day basis.

If you don’t, you will remain addicted to distractions and never get anywhere in life.

Are the advances in technology doing more harm than good? Depends…

The world we live in has a lot of “bad” due to technology, but it also has a lot of good as a result.

To benefit, you must become aware.

Once you are aware of how you’re spending your attention, you can harness these tools to propel you in the right direction rather than keep you shackled in the “middle.”

Because that’s what they are: tools.

Tools are neutral. It’s how you use them that makes them good or bad.

Let’s take another tool as an example: a baseball bat.

• A baseball bat can be used to hit homeruns and in doing so, inspire a younger generation to become great athletes, as well as teach them how to work on a team, and allow them to make lasting friendships with their teammates.

• A baseball bat can also be used to beat the living sh*t of someone.

The bat has no say in how it’s used. A bat is a bat.

In the same light, a phone is a phone.

You can use it for good.

Or you can allow yourself to let it tempt you, to distract you, and to hold you hostage.

It can enable your dreams….or kill them.

But the choice is yours, not the phone’s.

Be aware of how you’re spending your time; it is a finite asset.

Guard your attention at all costs.

2. decide to Break Free

You use distractions as a form of escapism because you aren’t satisfied with where you’re at in life.

It’s so easy to get caught in the cycle where you’re going through the motions, and merely existing.

But if you’re anything like me, you know that you’re meant for more.

And even after knowing that you are, if you still feel like you’re stuck in the cycle, you just have to decide. Commit 🤝 as I like to say.

Because here’s a reality that’s hard to swallow….

Are you really going to live the rest of your life addicted to scrolling on Instagram, binging Netflix, wasting money on things you don’t need, eating shitty food, getting fat, out of shape, and wallowing away in the gluttony through this extreme consumerism?

Some people will live their whole lives like that.

If you felt any emotions come up during that, good. Notice how you felt.

If you felt attacked, offended, or threatened in any sort of way, chances are you need a reality check with yourself. Because you know what you’re doing is not who you thought you’d be. You know you want a change. You know what you have to do. You just haven’t decided yet.

You’re aware, but you need to actually decide to show yourself some respect. Because at the end of the day, it’s you and only you who can make the choice to become the person you’ve always want to be.

Once you do, your desire to achieve more in life will outweigh the enjoyment you get from these distractions.

3. what happens if you don’t

Aside from what I’ve just laid for you: fat, out of shape, lazy, self-pitiful…you get the picture….

If you don’t decide to remove distractions and take control of your own life, you will die regretting you had.

Yea, pretty bleak. I know. But it’s true. It’s all love from my side. Tough love, albiet. But I’d rather tell you now than allow you to figure that out for yourself when you’re staring death in the face years from now. When it’s too late to make a change.

If you don’t consciously control the distractions, you will grow numb to real, true pleasure; the little things in life become dull, and life itself becomes so much less exciting.

Everything turns into a massive decline. Your health, your relationships, your mental clarity and peace of mind, your dreams, all downhill from here.

Unless you decide to commit to yourself and finally take back control.

4. the path out

The #1 thing that will help you break free is using your awareness to reflect on your daily habits.

Ask yourself, is this actually helping me? Or is it hindering me?

Regular check-ins with yourself can do wonders.

Daily, weekly, monthly. Pick what works best for you. The important thing is that you keep coming back to it.

If you track it, it will improve.

Tracking helps you build momentum. Momentum is key.

“Personal audit,” “journaling,” whatever you want to call it….try it.

It’s such a simple act, but it truly can change your life.

How?

It’s a constant reminder of the things you know you should be doing.

We need accountability.

“Self-love” is trending right now. It is often thought of as going to the spa, getting a massage, taking a day for your mental health. Now look, that stuff is all good and well.

But really, the greatest form of self-love is holding yourself accountable.

It’s a practice of “tough self-love."

Distractions in today’s world have made us forget how to stay committed to our goals. To ourselves.

The people who can perform tough self-love regularly will achieve their goals and ultimately, live much more fulfilling lives than those who choose to neglect the promises they make to themselves.

Reflect on your habits. Hold yourself accountable.

Because…

5. it’s up to you

You have to make the choice.

You have to commit to setting better habits.

You have to decide to not be distracted.

Or they will decide for you. And their answer for you will always be the same.

Be aware of distractions.

Decide to remove yourself from the cycle they keep you in.

Reflect often on how well you are staying true to yourself.

Because it’s up to you.

I can only tell you so much.

You have to be the one to take action.

There’s an old proverb that I’ll leave you with,

“You can lead a horse to the water, but you force him to drink.”

-Ryan Ward