3294: Focusing on the Important Stuff in an Age of Distraction by Jeff Goins on Gratitude & True Happiness

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[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Before we start, please check out our new podcast Good Sleep.

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[00:01:08] [SPEAKER_01]: This is Optimal Living Daily, focusing on the important stuff in an age of distraction

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_01]: by Jeff Goynes of GoinsRider.com and I'm Justin Malik, your very own personal narrator.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: This is where I read to you every day covering productivity, minimalism, personal development,

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01]: all that fun stuff.

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I do my best to find the best articles online to help make your day a little bit better,

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_01]: and my day too of course.

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: So with that, let's get right to another article and start optimizing your life,

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_01]: focusing on the important stuff in an age of distraction by Jeff Goynes of GoinsRider.com.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_01]: In a world saturated with social media and unlimited interruptions,

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_01]: many of us struggle to focus on what's in front of us.

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_01]: With so many voices vying for attention, it's hard to know what's worth our time.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01]: We end up tuning it all out, the good with the bad.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_01]: The surprising solution to our distraction confronts us every day,

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_01]: at the shopping mall, in long lines of traffic, even standing at the coffee pot.

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Every time we wait is an opportunity to slow down and be present in an increasingly noisy world,

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_01]: to listen to the voices we sometimes lose in the static.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_01]: And as we embrace the wait, we learn to appreciate the delays and postponements that teach us

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_01]: some things in life are worth waiting for.

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Learning to slow down.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Life was meant to be more than the daily humdrum.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_01]: It was supposed to be enjoyable, full of purpose, not just stress and worry.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_01]: So where has all our satisfaction gone? Where is the pleasure, the joy?

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_01]: We search for it on road trips and weekend getaways,

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_01]: even extended vacations in the Caribbean dreaming of the life we've always wanted.

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_01]: We seek out meaning in our jobs and other success pursuits.

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_01]: We even reserve feelings of joy and satisfaction for major events like marriage and parenthood.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_01]: But often, we're disappointed with what we find.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, we may be happy, but we are far from complete.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Even the best job, the best husband, and the best vacation have their flaws,

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_01]: might happen to know this for a fact.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_01]: What we were hoping for, what we dreamed would be a larger-than-life experience,

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_01]: ends up looking a lot like morning breath and spreadsheets.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_01]: So we keep searching, and we wonder why it's becoming harder to sit still and just be.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_01]: All the while, what we're searching for sits in front of us, hidden in normal, everyday inconveniences.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_01]: If we reserve our joy only for the experiences of a lifetime,

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_01]: we may miss the life in the experience.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Such experiences are everywhere, waiting for us to see them.

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_01]: But first, we must learn to open our eyes and recognize the gift of waiting.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Choosing to be grateful, anyway.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_01]: In the in-between that place where we spend most of our lives,

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_01]: we learn to recognize the temporal nature of life.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Eventually, all waiting must end.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_01]: And when it does, we're left with what we did with the time in between the beginning and the end.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Watching a tree grow will likely drive you crazy.

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a boring process if you stand there, impatiently tapping your foot, waiting for it to do something.

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_01]: But if you step away and come back later, you'll be surprised to see something beautiful emerge.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_01]: The fact is the plant is doing something, it's growing.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Just not as quickly as you might like.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Our culture has conditioned us to expect instant results and overnight success.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_01]: But life doesn't always work that way.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Our cultural impatience runs so rampant that we dress it up in terms like productivity and efficiency.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_01]: But what's really happening is we are conditioning ourselves to get what we want now all the time.

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Such a mindset robs us of the lessons waiting can teach us,

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: causing us to miss out on the slow but important stuff of life.

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_01]: How we grow

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Most growth happens this way. Slowly over time.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_01]: You don't even notice it.

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, sometimes the circumstances feel more like inconveniences than opportunities,

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_01]: but then one day you wake up amazed at how far you've come.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_01]: When it comes to waiting for anything really,

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_01]: we have a choice. We can try to bypass the delays to get immediate gratification

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: or we can embrace the long game of life and invest those days, months, and years

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_01]: in the slow but intentional growth that leads to lasting change.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_01]: What would you rather do? Keep constantly searching for the next thrill

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_01]: or achievement to complete you?

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Or find a way to abide in where you are right now,

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_01]: this place that maybe in its own little way is perfect.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Three things that will make you happier now.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_01]: If you struggle to focus like I do but want more out of life,

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: try the following.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, make a gratitude list.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Write down three things you're grateful for today.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Sign shows that such lists lead to increased happiness.

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Number two, stop competing.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Instead of comparing yourself to someone you admire or envy,

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_01]: consciously choose to celebrate their success.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Jealousy leads to misery.

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Make the effort to build others up even when you don't want to.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_01]: And number three, resist the urge of distraction.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_01]: The next time you're tempted to check in on social media

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_01]: to lose focus on what's right in front of you,

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_01]: take a deep breath.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Remind yourself that this moment won't last forever

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: and you should make the most of it.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_01]: You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Focusing on the important stuff in an Age of Distraction

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_01]: by Jeff Goynes of GoinsRider.com

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you to Jeff.

[00:08:37] [SPEAKER_01]: I know this has come up before,

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_01]: but it's a topic worth revisiting

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: because it's easy to forget in our day-to-day lives.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Especially since, as Jeff said,

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: our culture has conditioned us

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_01]: to expect instant results

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_01]: and overnight success.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_01]: So we can constantly look for those results

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and successes and not be happy

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_01]: until they're reached.

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_01]: But even when they're reached,

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_01]: that happiness is temporary, of course.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_01]: And then we're looking for something else.

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And like you said, it could be

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER_01]: that we're just waiting for that big-life moment

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: like marriage or kids

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_01]: or buying a house

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_01]: or that vacation.

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_01]: And even on that vacation,

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_01]: we can get stuck in that mindset,

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_01]: hating the flight

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_01]: or the lines at the airport

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_01]: or even the line at some attraction

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_01]: that we wanted to see while on vacation.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_01]: We waited so long to be here,

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_01]: yet we can still find ourselves

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_01]: impatient and bored.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_01]: It's funny how that works.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_01]: For all those looking for that next big thing,

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: then 99% of our lives

[00:09:41] [SPEAKER_01]: will be spent feeling impatient

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and unsatisfied.

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Not a great way to live.

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I think we can do better.

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Antisuggestions are a good place to start,

[00:09:50] [SPEAKER_01]: so thank you again to Jeff for this one.

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for being here.

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Have a great rest of your day

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_01]: and I'll see you tomorrow for the Friday show

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_01]: where your optimal life awaits.