Annihilating Distractions: Choosing Purpose on Purpose

Purposeful Living Soul Thread Series | YOU Matter!

Let’s be honest...distractions don’t usually show up looking like trouble. They often arrive dressed as responsibility, busyness, and good intentions. They sound like “just one more thing” or “I’ll get back to that later.” And that’s where purpose quietly gets delayed. Let me clarify something because this matters.

When I say “later to writing,” I don’t mean I stopped writing. I write every single day. What I discovered wasn’t a lack of discipline or commitment. It was the impact of intermittent distractions. Even though the writing continued, those distractions delayed the completion of certain projects. Pages were written. Ideas were captured. Messages were forming. But finishing...bringing the assignment fully to completion and release was sometimes slowed.

When I intentionally began minimizing distractions and guarding my focus, I went back through my personal toolkit...journals, outlines, manuscripts, drafts, and partially written pieces. What I discovered was absolutely mind-boggling. There were assignments I had already started. Messages already taking shape. Projects simply waiting for uninterrupted focus to be completed and released. They weren’t unfinished because I lacked clarity or vision. They weren’t unfinished because I lacked consistency.

They were unfinished because my focus had been interrupted just enough to delay completion.

That realization reminded me and now reminds us of this truth: purpose doesn’t disappear; it waits patiently for focused intention. This is where the conversation becomes collective. Sometimes the issue isn’t starting. It’s finishing. And finishing requires a different level of focus than beginning.

When distractions repeatedly interrupt our flow, even if briefly, we unintentionally slow down what’s meant to be released through us. Not because we’re incapable, but because our attention keeps getting divided.

Living purposefully isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what aligns first. It looks like protecting blocks of time. It looks like honoring momentum. It looks like revisiting what we already started. It looks like saying, “This assignment deserves my full attention.” This is where the You Matter message settles deeply.

When we postpone completion, our voice, our vision, or our follow-through, we unintentionally minimize ourselves. But choosing focus is choosing alignment. And alignment is an act of self-respect. Annihilating distractions isn’t about pressure or perfection. It’s about clarity. It’s about courage. It’s about honoring what’s been entrusted to us.

Because when we protect our focus, we don’t just stay productive. We bring purpose to completion.

And let this Soul Thread truth be woven into your day:

You Matter. Your focus matters. What you are called to finish matters.

With Grace and Purpose,

Cheryl A.S. Hurley

"Living unapologetically in purpose."

🎙️ The Wait is Over...

P.S. We’re excited to share that our Monthly YOU Matter Podcast has officially launched! 🎙️

Each episode offers intentional conversations, soul reflections, and purposeful reminders designed to help us pause, refocus, and live aligned because You Matter, and so does the journey you’re walking.

We invite you to listen, reflect, and walk with us as we continue living on purpose—together.

👉 Click the image above to listen on Spotify.

🔗 You can also listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vfxPMTzZx0tzpRYzWLtL6

*(Additional listening platforms coming soon.)