{"id":35,"date":"2013-09-05T06:07:10","date_gmt":"2013-09-05T06:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/page-clan.com\/hectic-dad\/?p=35"},"modified":"2015-06-12T16:21:56","modified_gmt":"2015-06-12T21:21:56","slug":"be-where-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hectic-dad.com\/hectic-dad\/be-where-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Be where you are"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I\u2019m a process-oriented person. I focus on the things that I\u2019m doing and the results I want to obtain. That means that I think about what I\u2019m doing a lot. It means that my mind is racing in a zillion directions all the time. I\u2019m always aware of all the things that I need to do next, and honestly it clutters my brain.<\/p>\n

Too many times I’m at an event\/meeting\/whatever and all I can think about is the next thing that I have to do. This is especially troubling when I’m at one of the kids sporting or school events. I’ve had to work really hard to focus on being where I am so that I’m not distracted.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m working my way through Dave Allen\u2019s Getting Things Done<\/a> process to try and get a better handle on my life. This post isn\u2019t about that productivity journey. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll write about that another time. What this is about is one of the core tenets that I\u2019ve come to realize from going through that process.<\/p>\n

In some ways, it\u2019s almost a Zen-like thought. It\u2019s one of those that sounds really simple on the surface, but you end up thinking about it more and more. As you peel away the layers you learn that there is even more to think about and learn. I\u2019m still working my way to the core of this idea, but it\u2019s already helped me out a lot.<\/p>\n

Be where you are.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"That\u2019s it. Four simple words, but a profound meaning. Think about it. How many times have you been at one event and not fully engaged. I do it all the time. And sadly, it detracts from where I am as well as where I think I ought to be.<\/p>\n

I have to apply personal \u201cConstant vigilance!\u201d, as Alastor (\u201cMad-Eye\u201d) Moody said in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire<\/em>. I need to be aware that my mind is wandering and pull it back to where I am. Every time I consciously choose to be somewhere, I have to make a second conscious decision that I\u2019m going to focus on what\u2019s going on and why I\u2019m there. It\u2019s tough, really tough, at times. When I\u2019m at the dentist, I\u2019d rather focus on something else. Anything else. And if I make a conscious decision to transport myself somewhere else in my mind, that\u2019s fine. It\u2019s the conscious decision that matters.<\/p>\n

But when I\u2019m at the Christmas Musical at the kids\u2019 grade school, I really need to focus on that. Not on my cell phone. Not on my iPad. Not on plans for dinner or any projects that I\u2019m working on. If I make a conscious decision to be at the Christmas Musical, then that\u2019s what I need to focus on.<\/p>\n

So it comes down to focusing on what I\u2019m going to do or where I\u2019m going to be. Once I know that, then I have to commit to that action that needs to be taken or that place where I am.<\/p>\n

It sounds so simple and easy, but even while writing this post I\u2019ve been all over the place in my head. E-mail has come in. The phone has rung. Text messages have arrived. The doorbell just rang. All those things fighting for my attention. But if I jump off and check out each one as it pops up, I\u2019ll never get anything done. This post will sit, half-finished, until I decide to focus on it again. Since you\u2019re reading it, I finally did get my mind back to where I am.<\/p>\n

To do it, I simply repeated to myself \u201cBe where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was as simple as that. It\u2019s my focus phrase. Something else might work for you. Whatever works, please let me know about it in the comments. I\u2019m curious how each of you stays on track, and when you get off track how do you get back to where you need to be.<\/p>\n

So today I\u2019m going to focus on one thing at a time. I\u2019m going to take my own advice. Pretty simple, yet oh so complex.<\/p>\n

Be where you are.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Brilliant<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a process-oriented person. I focus on the things that I\u2019m doing and the results I want to obtain. That means that I think about what I\u2019m doing a lot. It means that my mind is racing in a zillion directions all the time. 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