Today I want to talk about squirrels!

When squirrels notice you they usually stop, freeze and contemplate what to do next, and then run off towards home usually in a zigzag manner and sometimes get caught up in traffic and unfortunately get hurt.

Squirrels also have to do with dogs whose attention quickly gets turned around when SQUIRREL!! (When they see a squirrel and then go running after it, totally forgetting what they were doing in the first place.)

Do YOU have a squirrel problem? Do you work on planting your acorns for future sustenance and then freeze and run away when something scary comes into your sight? Are you like the dog who gets distracted when the new shiny squirrel comes and interrupts their play?

When I was at a high level training about 9 years ago, the trainer talked about squirrels taking our attention away from the important things we need to do in our businesses. Being a dog lover, I got the analogy right away. The trick is to notice the squirrels that come into your day and learn how to not let them distract you and take you sideways.

On a fun side note (SQUIRREL), the Pixar movie “UP” had recently come out and the squirrel analogy with the dog in the movie resonated with us. We were in Orlando (so Disney everywhere) and some friends and I saw a “Doug” (the dog in the movie) stuffed animal and gave it to the trainer. I bought one for myself, and it reminds me to stay focused when I go off to chase those squirrels to this day.

So, what does this have to do with positivity, confidence, resilience and all the things I talk about? Well, it is SO SO EASY to get distracted by daily things, but also by other things we need or want to do in our work that we don’t accomplish the tasks we need to do to reach our goals.

I am certainly no exception to the SQUIRREL in my yard/life!

What can we do about it? We can’t get all of the squirrels out of our neighborhood, but WE CAN work on how we react to them When noticing them, we can train ourselves to recognize it’s a squirrel, take a moment to give ourselves grace for being distracted, and then take another moment to come back to the task at hand, realizing that it is what’s most important at the minute.

Here is an example of a rather large squirrel in most people’s lives…scrolling through social media! I am on social media for my business all the time. Have you ever been on social media posting something, expecting to take 5 to 10 minutes and the next thing you know an hour has passed? Raise your hand - I KNOW YOU HAVE!!!

Here’s a tip that helps me with this squirrel: When you are going on social, set a timer on your phone for 15 or 20 minutes. Then, go do what you need to on that platform. Since YOU KNOW the timer is going off in 15 minutes you are MUCH LESS APT to scroll through reels, stories or whatever catches your eye. You tend to stick to the task at hand. I have saved many hours of wasted time by working this way.

Much like reframing negative self talk, we need to reframe the distractions of the squirrels. The first step is recognizing the many “squirrels” in your yard.

What are the most important things you need to do in your business right now? When you are working, be 100% there. And when it’s time to be with family, or your partner or your friends, make sure to be 100% there too.

What are the squirrels that are showing up in your day? Don’t let the squirrels distract you and possibly get you “run over” so that you can’t achieve your work and personal goals and dreams.