Rabbit Holes & Roller Coasters

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.
~ Tony Robbins

Already, I am having trouble focusing.

I mean, I just selected that word right before the end of the year and already I am having trouble Following One Course Until Successful. That is how it is with the Word of the Year concept. Whatever you decide to proclaim and put out into the world will manifest itself, but sometimes in the negative instead of the positive.

I have so many different projects going on and I have been diving down all sorts of rabbit holes. You know the ones... you go down one path only to be duped into following another path until you get so lost that you don't know what you were doing there in the first place. For instance...
...I got an email to send in some pieces for consideration to summer magazine issues and I find myself trying to recall where each and every component came from and finding similar online for those things I have had forever.
...I need to draft an order form for a potentially huge semi-custom order for my daughter's dance studio and I find myself ordering supplies for pieces that haven't even been ordered yet.
...I am continuing to  develop the line of jewelry I keep threatening but I find myself buried under what could be instead of working on what is right in front of me.
...I have plans to update my Etsy shop that is rather sad and neglected after the holidays but I find myself seeking out new beads to lust after and new artwork to favorite instead.
...I am staring at the pile o' paper that is threatening to topple onto the floor very soon because I lacked the discipline to actually file any of it away last year when I should be finding some ways to enforce simple organizational strategies on my paperwork (I am hoping a small file cabinet and some hanging files might do the trick this year).
...I applied to my first juried art show and in so doing had to totally scrap my booth space in favor of something new (pictures soon, I promise!).
...Realizing that I am on my last pack of checks and then spending all night online trying to find the ones that speak to me the most rather than just ordering blue safety and be done with it!

This is but a fraction of what I have been doing during the 9p-midnight hours in the past week or two. And I feel like I have nothing to show for it but the bags under my eyes... and that doesn't include all the things that have to be done to keep the family afloat. I feel like I am missing out on my family, my husband, my own health, my piece of mind. I know you are all with me on this. I have felt your angst, too, through the world of the blogdom.

You know how it is when you are on a roller coaster ride and you look off to the side... what do you see? All is a blur going by you. You can't see anything but a melange of colors and shapes because it is rushing right by you faster than you can pay attention to it. And that is the problem. There are so many tantalizing tidbits rushing by you that you want to reach out and grab hold of. But those are the cars on someone else's roller coaster. It may look great, but it is not meant for you and it is going in a completely different direction than the track that you have laid. Can you really focus on your direction when the world is whooshing right by you at lightning fast speeds? It is not possible to slow the ride down and hop off. It might be possible to switch tracks, but then you are stuck learning a different route. And those new twists and turns might be more than you bargained for.



{Awesome photo from rongleeakqzed on Etsy}

 Maybe instead of looking sideways at all that is rushing by me, I need to stop and take stock of the direction that my toes are pointed, which track my ride is on. A wise friend had some truly insightful things to say recently that had me perk up and take notice. So much so that I printed them off and hung them next to my computer. So many nuggets of wisdom to choose from, but this one is standing out to me today:

You will not fall behind everyone else,

you are doing exactly what you should be

at this moment.

I do need to give myself time to play and explore and dream, I realize that. I am very driven to succeed, but not at the risk of others. In fact, I am an encourager at heart and I want to help everyone else realize their dreams, often at the expense of my own. But I think that I have been so focused on inspiring others that I have lost a little bit of that spark of inspiration for myself. I need to get back on track and enjoy my own ride rather than worry about how screamingly awesome someone else's ride looks. I need to reconnect to myself and realize that I am only one and can only do so much, but that I also need to get some focused momentum going if I am going to have any fun with this ride and see where it takes me.

I need to stop the rabbit holing and FOCUS on enjoying my own ride with my head facing forward and my harness buckled tight. Because it is going to be wild.

And I am totally going to wave my arms and scream as I careen around the corners. ;-)

What about you?
Are you veering down rabbit holes that are leading you astray?
Is there a magic method for taming paperwork that you would like to share with me?
When you look at all the rides going on around you, are you missing out on your own fantastic voyage?
Would you rather be on a roller coaster with unpredictability... or a merry-go-round?
Do tell!

Enjoy the day!