You've been planning
for the perfect vacation for six months, and now the day is finally
here. The tickets are in your pocket, your bags are packed, and
you're driving to the airport. On the way, you pass a favourite
restaurant and think about how much you like their food. You turn the car
around, go back to the restaurant, walk in, sit down and enjoy a
delicious meal. The only trouble is, by the time you finish eating
you've missed your flight and you don't get to take that vacation
of a lifetime.
Would this ever
happen? Of course not. When you're on your way to something you've been
working for, planning, and anxiously awaiting, you'd never let a
petty distraction throw you off track. Or would you?
Unfortunately, it
happens every day. Too often, we let the distractions of the moment deny us
our most treasured goals. The next time you're tempted by a
distraction, keep in mind where you're already headed and how very much you
desire to get there. Ask yourself if you would prefer to have the
distraction or the goal you've set for yourself. Rather than hopping from one
empty distraction to another, focus your effort
and attention toward
those things which will bring true and lasting fulfilment.
- Ralph Marston