Distractions

Distractions

I got into an interesting conversation with a good friend of mine last night. This good friend of mine has had a goal for quite a while now, but has found himself unable to attain that goal. Just recently, he decided to take some very solid steps towards achieving his goal, and in doing so, hopes to avoid or dismiss any distraction that may arise, keeping him from seeing his goal to completion.

He described a few factors that exist in his life that serve as distractions. Obviously, we all have distractions – things that come up that derail us from accomplishing what we’ve set out to do. Sometimes distractions can be bad. However, I challenged him that I think sometimes, distractions – or derailments – can be good. This then launched us into a huge discussion about what exactly constitutes a “distraction” and are all distractions bad?

I gave him an example from my life:

I was a senior in college. I was 26, a late graduate, having taken 3 years off to “figure out what I want to do with my life.” At age 26, I was ready to begin life. I was ready to have a career, I was ready to begin paying back all the debt I had accrued over the years, and I was ready to move away from the city I’d known my whole life. I wanted something different, something new… I graduated from college with a degree in English, with a focus in media/film studies. My goal was to work my way into the film industry, starting out as a production assistant. My last semester, I met a girl who’s father was the head set designer and stunt coordinator for Paramount Pictures. I found myself with an incredibly promising networking opportunity, friends in L.A. to live with, and an opportunity to live out my dream of being in the film industry.

Then, my plans changed.

Sonlife Ministries is an organization I had worked with for the 4 summers prior to my senior year. I had always been a believer of the organization, and loved the things they were doing. During the same time I was making plans to move to Los Angeles, I was approached by the director of Sonlife Ministries, and offered a temporary position. They needed help running their junior high and high school events, and asked if I was interested. This was something I’d always thought about, but never had the opportunity to pursue. I weighed my options, and after much thought, decided I would switch paths mid-course. I would take the position at Sonlife, and hold off on my thoughts of movie-making.

While at Sonlife, I began to realize that it was not everything I had hoped for. In fact, I knew it was not where I was meant to stay. So after only three months of working there full time, I decided I needed to look into other options. That is when the position at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission fell into my lap… and my life was forever changed.

The Milwaukee Rescue Mission was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It shaped and molded who I am today, and I am forever grateful for that opportunity. While I was only there one short year due to unforeseen circumstances, I fell in love with the city, and now have a clearer picture of what it I am truly passionate about.

Sonlife Ministries was a distraction from my original goal of movie-making. Sonlife ended up not being what I wanted, but it led me to the Mission – something that, had I moved to Los Angeles when originally planned, I would have missed out on.

My friend suggested all of the things that could have happened if I HAD moved out to Los Angeles. I could have found a great job that paid a lot of money, helping me get rid of my debt. I could have met someone, gotten married, and had kids. There are a lot of “could haves” but that doesn’t mean that the Sonlife/Rescue Mission distraction weren’t worth it. It was COMPLETELY worth it. The kids I worked with at the Mission will forever be in my heart, and have changed my view on life a great deal.

As my friend and I continued our conversation, I challenged him to take his “distractions” seriously, and to not just brush them off. I told him, “You never know when what you deem a distraction ends up being life-changing.”

If only I could learn to look at all my “distractions” this way… That where I am might just lead me to where I want to be, even though it doesn’t seem possible right now. Who knows where this path might lead me? And who knows when I will be asked to change paths?My hope is that I, along with my friend, know which path to take when it crosses our current one, and that we learn to be thankful for all the “distractions” that come our way.