May 15, 2023

What’s Getting In Your Way? How To Turn Distraction Into Action - PHH 104

34 minutes

What always happens is…

That statement is one that I ask each harpist who enrolls in our Certified Coaching program to complete. Some harpists have no idea how to complete the statement, and I tell them that if they needed to answer it, they would know how. The harpists who need to complete that sentence, know it when they read it. These are the harpists who know that they have an issue with distraction.

It’s not a black mark against them, of course; distraction is an issue for all of us. But sometimes distraction becomes a roadblock instead of just a minor speed bump. It’s one thing to be distracted by a phone call from a friend when you were about to start practicing. It’s very different if you miss several days of practice each week because of phone calls. If those phone calls always happen, you have a distraction problem.

Naturally, phone calls aren’t the only kind of distraction problem. Today I want to get crystal clear about several common and sneaky forms of distraction. Why are they sneaky? Because they masquerade as important and valid requests for our time and focus, and occasionally, they are valid and important, possibly even urgent. But your harp playing is important too and you need to have tools to help you stay on track when you need to.

We’ll talk about the symptoms and alternative solutions for the three forms of distraction I encounter most frequently: the Shiny Object Syndrome, the Friend and Family Fixer and the Perfect Procrastinator.

The solutions will give you the freedom and the power to choose your response to a potential distraction. When you have a way to easily weigh your options in any given moment - do I go out for ice cream or practice the Conditioning Exercises? - you give yourself permission to choose what is right for you at that moment. By the way, I’m voting for the ice cream, almost every time.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: