Do you remember the dog from the movie Up? He’s got a collar that vocalizes his thoughts which are frequently interrupted by the exclamation, “squirrel!” He can be in the middle of sentence, in the middle of telling his owner how much he loves him, in the middle of a hunt for something important, when all of a sudden he catches a whiff, and: “squirrel!” Everything else is forgotten.
Sometimes we can be like that in discernment. We might have discerned a path to set out on, or committed ourselves to trying something out, but then we catch a whiff of something new, and, “squirrel!” we’ve forgotten everything else. Distraction is real.
The problem is, it can be hard to distinguish when we’re falling prey to Squirrel Syndrome, and when we’re legitimately drawn to something that ought to become a factor in our discernment. In other words, what deserves our attention and what doesn’t?
The first question to ask is whether we’ve actually made a good discernment up until this point? Or are we just kind of floating along, accepting whatever comes, and failing to be intentional about our time, energy, and resources. Are we praying regularly? Are we being practical?
If we’ve made a good discernment about the path to try for this season, the next question is, have we given that path some good effort? Yes, it’s vague – there is no objective criteria for what “some good effort” looks like in every case. But it almost never looks like a half-hearted, one-day attempt. If you’ve discerned well, stick to what you’ve discerned for a set period of time. What period of time? You decide. Pray, seek wise guidance, and then set a length of time during which you won’t consider other things. Give the other things one line a notebook somewhere to get them out of your mind when they arrive, and then move on to what you’ve already begun.
When that set period of time is over, pull out your notebook in prayer and see if any of those distractions still hold weight. If they do, ask why. Is it merely because the original thing you’ve discerned is now difficult or boring? Is it because you’ve done as much as is reasonable with the original thing, and now it’s time to turn it over to someone else? Is it because you’re tired and need a nap or a snack?
Some people naturally tend more towards Squirrel Syndrome. Maybe you struggle to stay focused or committed to anything. If that’s you, it’s important to know where you’re starting from so you can aim in the right direction: in this case, being more strict about not letting yourself get distracted.
On the other hand, some people naturally tend more towards sticking with something regardless of whether or not it’s a good fit anymore. They stick with everything for the sake of sticking with it. If that’s you, it might be time to actually get curious about the “squirrels” that call for your attention.
Usually in conversations around discernments and distractions, someone will raise the importance of the virtue of perseverance. Perseverance is a virtue when we apply our stick-to-it-ness to moral issues – not giving in to doing wrong. But sometimes we can mistakenly apply a need for perseverance to non-moral issues.
This is tricky ground because our character is indeed shaped by our actions, even our non-moral ones. Are we the kind of person who gives up easily, in general? That’s not a great character trait. But what if we could be the kind of person who gives up intentionally when the time is right? There’s a time to walk away from unfinished things, and it takes wisdom to know when.
But there’s also a time to step away from existential pressurizing questions of “oh my gosh, am I the kind of person who lacks perseverance or do I not have enough wisdom to walk away and what should I do?!” If you’re the type who tends to see the existential weight of even the lightest things, it might be time to set yourself free for a bit. If you start a book and don’t like it, don’t finish it. If you plan to walk 10 miles and get tired at 5, just stop. If you take up a new hobby and it doesn’t stick, don’t force it. None of these are deeply moral questions of discernment.
Squirrel Syndrome can be dangerous when it affects our careful discernment of significant things, or if it habitually shapes our character. So next time you find yourself distracted by a whiff of something new, pause to ask yourself if it’s interrupting your careful discernment, and whether or not it’s a good time to pay attention to it.
(And if you’re not sure and would like to talk about it, get in touch for a free 30 min consult to see if Life Consulting could help!)
