COST OF DISTRACTION

 BUILDING BETTER HABITS

An arrogant man disrespecting authority /Photo Courtesy / Yan Krukau

Respect Authority

One man’s life was about to change for good. Resources that he ever needed to turn around his life were all available. His life was going to get better. The man was in one of a lifetime’s moment. Not many people get such opportunities. The man was lucky. He was lucky until he never saw the luck. This man had a huge problem. A problem whose solution needed a specific person to solve. That specific man was in the room. This man only needed to say something. Something that could have changed an entire course of his life. The man in the room could have granted this man all of his wishes. The man only needed to be honest. And speak his mind. He needed to humble himself. And be sorry about his actions. That was all that he needed to do. Speak honestly about himself. The man in the room was listening.

In fact, the man in the room was not just interested in this single man. Everyone in the community was in a very good position to secure freedom. People’s lives were going to get a transformation. As long as, this man was in the room. Everyone’s wish could be settled. Those who were wise enough asked for something. They got transformed on the spot. All that had problems they did not how to solve. Asked for help. They talked to the man in the room directly. And requested him to think about them. They were honest. They knew they had shortcomings. They had not lived perfect lives. They had made mistakes. And they regretted those mistakes. They opened up to the man in the room because he was the right person for their specific needs. They were doing the right thing. Asking the source of life to save their lives.

A distracted man feeling the cost /Photo /Craig Adderley 

This was the kind of discernment anyone who met and interacted with the man in the room needed. To recognize that they were wrong. That is where an honest conversation needed to start. That is how wise people solve problems. You can only get to the bottom of an issue when you choose honesty. You choose honesty by highlighting the specific underlying causes of the problem. Those underlying issues are the one that need fixing. And people need to be proactive. They need to admit that they cannot solve some of those problems by themselves. Some problems need specific solutions. Solutions that most people in the community did not have. The man in the room was there for such problems. Chronic things that people could not fix. He was ready to help them solve those mysteries.

The man whose life was about turn around for good needed that kind of decency and vulnerability. To say that he was wrong. And say sorry. That is where his focus should have been from the beginning. He needed to pay attention to the man in the room. The man had everything he needed. All his problems were going to get fixed. He was in a position to ask for a favor that was going to become generational. No one from his family or generation could have been in need again. That is how serious that opportunity looked. A lifetime chance encounter with greatness. It was a moment of change. And the ground was set. People only needed to seize the moment. This man needed to grab this opportunity and get fixed for good. It was a historic moment. A moment that was going to be recorded. And read many years later.

The man in the room had attracted a huge crowd. And people in the crowd were saying all manner of things. There were those who were watering down the works of the man in the room. They were being disdainful. They thought that the man in the room was lying about himself. So some were demanding that he do some of the things he had already done. He had helped many people before. His track record was spectacular. People knew him based on some of those specific works. He did not need to prove himself. People only needed to trust the man in the room. And many did and they received their breakthroughs. The burdens of many years were eventually unloaded. Those who requested honestly walked away freed. However, the man who had many needs got distracted. He listened to the noise. And forgot about the man in the room.

A focus man in the middle of distraction /Photo Courtesy / Tome' Louro

The man had a serious problem. He practically needed help. He could have really used the help of the man in the room. But he was too arrogant. And too distracted to admit that he had a problem. He never requested anything from the man in the room. Instead, he attacked the man. He disrespected him like other fools in the crowd. He talked insults to the man. Yet, he was the closet person to the man. He did not need to shout to catch his attention. He was one meter to the man. Even if he only whispered out of embarrassment. He could still hear him. But the man did not recognize the authority in the room. He mocked authority. Loathed the man. And forgot about his problems. His issues were urgent. They were very bad problems. Smelling bad problems. But they were not spoken. The best he could do was attach the man who had all the help.     

There was no much time. The man in the room was there for a brief moment. He was leaving in a few hours. But the man chose noise over common sense. He chose foolishness over wisdom. Rudeness over humbleness. There were no costs attached his requests. All he needed as the active ingredient was honesty. He needed to admit that he was wrong. That he had dealt badly with people who did not deserve his harshness. He needed to say sorry for stepping on toes of innocent people. That was the biggest responsibility in that moment. The man needed to act responsibly. He was supposed to take responsibility of his wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. But he could not rise to the occasion. The noise was more attractive. Deflection became easy. And a lifetime opportunity was lost. Don’t be the next fool. Take action at the right time. Don’t get distracted. Find your focus. And arise when needed.