There comes a point in life when you finally stop running from yourself and start running toward the life you were meant to live. For me, that realization didn’t come easy. It took years of trial, loss, rebuilding, and learning how to see through the noise that used to pull me off my path.

I’ve always loved my two daughters with everything in me. They’re my reason, my responsibility, and my purpose. And for a while, I thought I had found the place where I would build a stable future for them. I worked hard, showed up even when I didn’t want to, and earned my way into a supervisor position overseeing more than a hundred people. It felt like home. It felt permanent.

But life has a way of shifting the ground under your feet.

My apartment caught fire. I was given five days off. I came back ready to work — and then I was fired for “non‑performance.” It hit hard. It felt unfair. It felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.

But looking back, I can see it clearly now: I wasn’t meant to stay there. God was moving me.

So I made a decision. I didn’t finish high school when I should have, and I’ve always told my kids, “You only have to do it once. Finish it now so you don’t have to come back to it later.” It was time for me to take my own advice. I started working on my GED, and that’s when I noticed something I had never paid attention to before.

Every time I started working on a goal — any goal — distractions came out of nowhere.

Phone calls. Favors. Drama. People needing something. People wanting something. People pulling me in every direction except forward. And it wasn’t always intentional. Sometimes people don’t know they’re distracting you. Sometimes they do. But either way, the result is the same: your focus gets stolen.

I realized something important: When you share your goals too early, you invite distractions you don’t need.

So I stopped talking about what I was working on. I stopped announcing my plans. I stopped giving people access to the parts of my life that needed protection. I turned off my phone. I cut back conversations. I created silence so I could create progress.

Because distractions turn into procrastination. Procrastination turns into regret. And regret is a weight I refuse to carry anymore.

I know what I need to do. I need to finish my GED. I need to use the certification I already earned. I need to get a solid job so I can take care of my girls. That’s my mission. That’s my duty. That’s my calling.

And to do that, I have to guard my focus like it’s sacred — because it is.

I thank God even for the distractions, because they teach me what to avoid. They show me what needs to be cut off. They reveal what doesn’t belong on my path. When I can name a distraction, I can defeat it.

So if you’re reading this, hear me clearly: Your goals matter. Your time matters. Your future matters. Make a list of what you need to accomplish. Prioritize it. Protect it. Don’t let anyone — not even the people you love — pull you away from what God is calling you to do.

You can achieve anything you’re willing to stay focused on. You can rebuild. You can rise. You can finish what you started.

Thank God for the good times and the hard times. Thank Him for the lessons and the losses. And keep pushing forward. You’re worth the work. You’re worth the effort. And God loves you through it all. Written by. Kristofer Krumholtz

 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9