"If you let the enemy control your thoughts, he will control your whole life. Guard your mind."
Joel Osteen
When life gets too busy, I find it hard to focus. In my frustration, I end up working harder, and accomplishing less, which takes my stress to whole new level. Life has been too busy recently but something reminded me that every defeat, every sin, every doubt, and every success begins with a single thought. The unnecessary distractions only serve to keep me from reaching my goal.
"When you're at peace you're in a position of power."
Joel Osteen
When race day arrived I wasn't sure of what I should expect. I arrived early, parked the car, threw my gear on my back, grabbed my Starbucks, and began to slowly stroll to our meeting place. After walking about half of a block I heard shouts of "one-two one-two" behind me. I turned in time to see a group of muscled young men with custom paddles, bags of gear, and shirts that said "Fire Dragons" jogging in unity towards the area where the teams had their tents. I could not help but wonder how a group of bankers... with desk jobs... and middle age spread could compete against these teams. "Team Community" was our team name and we are competing against teams like The Killer Guppies who have custom paddles and their own shirts. When I arrived at the race I saw news crews everywhere and almost had a meltdown. I haven't had an identity crisis this intense since grade school.
A couple of my fellow paddlers were voicing my thoughts. Our team leader reminded us that it is technique, not strength that will make us effective so a deep breath and focus is what will help us to do our best. There were two races on Saturday and two on Sunday. With each race, the teams would either qualify to compete in the next race or they would be eliminated. In the first race we came in second place and we were thrilled. The next race we didn't do as well but we did qualify.
On Sunday our drummer told us "Remember to focus and tune out the distractions. If you are looking at the other boat then you are looking at the winner. The only way to win this race is to keep your eyes on me and focus on doing what you do best." We tuned out the distractions and kept our focus. As a result, we placed first in our division. It was an exciting moment but I took away more from this experience than a new paddling technique. I realized that what I learned on that boat should be applied to my daily life. When I allow myself to become too busy and focus on life's many distractions it prevents me from bringing out the best version of myself. I have allowed the world to intrude, blurring my vision, so I no longer have a clear view of what is really important.
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
The saying "Attitude is Everything" got it right. It all begins with a single thought. The bible says to love others as we love ourselves but how can I love and encourage others if my own thoughts are critical and self defeating? Our team almost lost the race before we ever put a paddle in the water simply because we allowed distractions to create thoughts of self doubt. On that first morning our focus was on how great the other teams appeared instead of what great things we can do. This experience showed me that I need to start each day by focusing on the positive things in my life and block self defeating thoughts. Everything we are, and everything we could be, begins with a single thought.
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