Have you ever been in a place in your life when too many options didn’t help, but instead stopped you from making a decision?
I apologize for the lack of blog posts these past weeks. My life is in a [good] transition phase and I have many options I can pursue as I move forward. I’ve let the multiple options, and the multiple tasks, lock me into a state of inaction.
Photo Credit: Will Ockenden
Teaching in Africa, writing a blog, raising a family, working on websites, learning Spanish, and running a non-profit give me a lot of things to work on throughout my day.
So why do spend so much time on Facebook or Words With Friends?
Why don’t I study my Spanish or finish my website projects?
I feel paralyzed by my options.
In the western world, we are told we can do anything, or we could be anyone, we want to be. For many of us, that’s just too much pressure.
Maybe we should focus on doing something, not anything.
New options, new directions, or new opportunities are presenting themselves daily. Do we let them stop us? Do we let them confuse us and wonder “What is God trying to do to me?” Maybe he’s giving us the choice to choose. But we must choose. We must not let too many options lock us into “analysis paralysis.”
So I fight everyday to do things I need to do.
I focus and remove distractions.
I limit time on Facebook, “apps,” and random surfing.
New opportunities should encourage, excite, and invigorate us… not slam the brakes on projects we are already working on.
So true! I have to fight through this alot. I get in this mode of doing so much, then I have to take a few days to re-focus, re-strategize, and cut some stuff out!
Hi Dave,
I can definitely relate…. with family, work, other jobs, church, there are so many things i could spend my time on. As a dad i have definitely been learning about sacrificing time and living for others.
In the scriptures it talks about pruning even good things from our lives…..i certainly want to be intentional enough to f’ocus on doing something, not anything’.
I think it can definietly be tough in our capitalist western society…for example i went to the supermarket the other day, and felt pretty exhausted by the hundreds of special offers…2 for 1’s etc…….we tend to be bombarded by ‘stuff’ on a daily basis that as you said ‘paralyzes us’.
Yes… I need to do this more often too…
Thanks Ben. I think I am in a position now to prune some “good things” in my life to focus on the “better things”