My three year old has been teaching me a lot of lessons lately. Most significant is his sense of determination when he get's an idea in his head. It would seem that if I could only harness some of the same determination he has, I would be more successful in getting done what I should be doing.
Tonight it was seemingly a very simple request, going downstairs and getting a drink of water. Being that we had water upstairs, Mommy told him that there was no need to go downstairs. He asked again, and again, and again and again - determined to persuade Mommy he kept coming up with new reasons to go downstairs and get the water. And seemingly nothing would satisfy him until he could go downstairs and get the water himself.
It's easy to see that he wouldn't take no for an answer, but I think the bigger lesson learned is that nothing would distract him from that objective. He showed incredible focus on that one thing. It was the accomplishment of that one task that mattered most. If I could only focus on a thought the same way he can - what could be accomplished?
It would seem that the older we get the more easily we are distracted by the goings-on in our lives. Little Daniel III picks something to do and get's it done. All too often I pick something and have to balance it against many other priorities as well as the onslaught of emails, calls, and meetings that seem to fight against what I need to accomplish.
I would do well to remember what my three year old taught me today, pick a thought and focus on it with all the determination in my being to see it through. And don't let the distractions of everything else persuade me to forget the thought that matters most.
Tonight it was seemingly a very simple request, going downstairs and getting a drink of water. Being that we had water upstairs, Mommy told him that there was no need to go downstairs. He asked again, and again, and again and again - determined to persuade Mommy he kept coming up with new reasons to go downstairs and get the water. And seemingly nothing would satisfy him until he could go downstairs and get the water himself.
It's easy to see that he wouldn't take no for an answer, but I think the bigger lesson learned is that nothing would distract him from that objective. He showed incredible focus on that one thing. It was the accomplishment of that one task that mattered most. If I could only focus on a thought the same way he can - what could be accomplished?
It would seem that the older we get the more easily we are distracted by the goings-on in our lives. Little Daniel III picks something to do and get's it done. All too often I pick something and have to balance it against many other priorities as well as the onslaught of emails, calls, and meetings that seem to fight against what I need to accomplish.
I would do well to remember what my three year old taught me today, pick a thought and focus on it with all the determination in my being to see it through. And don't let the distractions of everything else persuade me to forget the thought that matters most.
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