This is something I think we all struggle with. It may be a phone or computer, or house cleaning or our job or the game…something….something is always trying to steal our focus and distract us from what is really important. Family and relationships. Put the phone down. Distractions keep us disconnected.

This painting was birthed out of an unsettling awareness of the unhealthy addiction and attention that goes to devices. My own children fighting against my device for attention or even more so my husbands attention. It is much easier to cast stones at my husband and notice his short comings than to acknowledge my own and see we have the same problem.

This large social problem has been nagging at me for a while. Every where I look in public I see a device/distractions instead of connections. Real connections are hard yet meaningful, distractions are easy yet empty. Distractions are junk food. They are enticing and sweet to the taste but provide no lasting nourishment.

Below is my poetic expression of my painting. I hope it is impactful in some way.

Disconnected

How many times will I say your name before your look up from your device.

You tell me to be kind and that to ignore someone isn’t nice.

But your actions ring loud in my ears this isn’t true,

I don’t learn by what you say, I learn by what you do.

Who are you without your phone. Everyday I wish I knew.

I wish you could learn to poses your possessions without them possessing you.

It is easy to disconnect and constantly look at others lives.

The challenge is in living your own, and exploring how to thrive.

Lets change the trend and start making those connections again with family and friends. Need some ideas on how to do that? Here are a few good suggestions.

Check out the A Reel Truth Gallery!

Disconnected was painted on a black 24×36 canvas with gouache.

Focus…
Many great things have been accomplished because of one thing…Focus.
When we are able to focus our minds on one thing and provide energy to a task we are rewarded by the results. Grow your focus, accomplish anything!

Focus is an easy enough concept but the practice of this simple word is extremely difficult. This word requires action and learning how to tame distractions. Like any muscle in the body the brain also requires exercise to stay strong and function properly. Focusing is like lifting weights. In the beginning it is best to start with low weight and slowly work your way up to increasing the amount on the bar. Focusing is skill that can be developed and honed to help you succeed in pretty much whatever you decided to do. However starting small is key in having small successes that will build confidence enough keep going instead of being completely overwhelmed and disappointed.

Life happens in the small moments we do everyday. Our habits shape our future. What do your habits look like? Take a moment and evaluate a typical day and what positive and negative habits show up. Eliminate the bad and enlist more of the good by emigrating from your old mind set to the new. Then you will be emancipated or set free from the chains holding you back.

Evaluate
Eliminate
Emigrate
Emancipate

Again all that sounds good in theory but if you are like me you want some practical ways to make this happen. So here are a few steps in growing your focus that you can start doing right now.

1. Write It Down

It is simple and easy and takes the thought from just a thought to an action. It is has been proven in many studies that we are much more likely to remember, complete, work on, finish, etc… our goals if we WRITE THEM DOWN. So find a pen, pencil or crayon in my case and jot those list down. When ideas are taken and put down on paper it gives more validity to them and also helps us focus.

2. Tame Distractions

As a mother of two toddlers I am well aware of distractions, my life is full of them and make focusing at times an even more difficult task than it already is. However distractions will always exist and our goal is not to eliminate them but to tame them enough to accomplish the goal. ( I started writing this blog two months ago, distractions, we are in the process of selling our house and moving so give yourself some grace on those big temporary distractions. At least that is what I am doing. )

3. Make or Set Reminders

In our world of technology this has been made so easy for us. Before smartphones I would have to leave post-it-notes everywhere or write on my bathroom mirror. Now it is so easy to press one button and tell Siri to remind me of any task I need to complete. Reminders are huge in helping us maintain and grow our focus over a long period of time. Humans are forgetful and simple reminders can provide much-needed support in this area.

What areas of your life are you wanting to improve? What are some things you would like to focus on? Ask yourself these simple questions, write down the answer, minimize distractions, and set reminders of your goals and task you would like to accomplish. Start small but your results will be big!