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Life is full of distractions. Especially other people.
It's up to each of us to stay focused on our goals instead of getting distracted by the possible opinions of others.
Nobody Thinks About You As Much As You Think They Do
Everyone has their own life with their own thoughts, dreams, priorities, and motives.
We might feel like everyone is focused on us and that impressing others is important. But we're the only ones who are with our thoughts, goals and actions 24/7, not others!
While other people's perspectives can help us see our blind spots, ignoring our own interests and priorities means we aren't looking out for ourselves.
Set Aside "Me" Time
Set aside time in your day, week, and month, to focus on your goals. This means saying "no" sometimes if a commitment is going to take away from that time.
Friends often pull us away from prioritizing focusing on our goals. Their intention may not be to distract us, but they are not focused on our personal goals.
Did you know?
This Byte was created by a volunteer professional that wanted to share this insight to help you succeed - no agenda, no cost.
How Can You Stay Focused?
Set aside alone time to work towards your goals.
Write down your goals and review them often.
Prioritize your commitments.
Depending on the goal, try to do something every day or most days to work towards it.
Get comfortable saying "no" to people and activities that might conflict with your goals.
Check in with yourself and hold yourself accountable.
Surround yourself with like-minded people who support your focus.
Resist the urge to do things just to be liked my others or viewed as "cool" or "fun".
Quiz
Luis attends college and works part time. One of his coworkers, Mala, often skips work to go to parties and asks Luis to take her next shift. Luis already has a full week of work and studying and has to review more before his exam. What should Luis do?
Luis already has a busy week ahead and he shouldn't compromise his chances of doing well on his exam by covering for Mala, especially when her request is not an emergency. He also doesn't need to explain himself or make up an excuse just because he doesn't want to upset Mala by saying no. Luis should do what's right for himself!
Take Action
Balance focusing on yourself and working towards your goals first, then giving your remaining time to others!
This Byte has been authored by
Laura Davidson
MBNA Client Service Officer at TD Bank