Bob Goff is following up his bestselling books Everybody, Always and Love Does with a title on living more mindfully: Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose, Rediscover Your Joy (Nelson, Mar. 2022). In it, the self-described “recovering lawyer,” personal coach, and host of the Dream Big podcast says the amount of distractions in society today has many people struggling to concentrate on the most important parts of their lives. “We need to... focus intensely on the things that will last forever: our faith, our families, and our purposes,” he writes in the book. “When you direct your attention to these things, you will find your joy.”
Why is a book on distraction needed today?
The room is really noisy right now, whatever room you’re in—sports, politics, world affairs, the pandemic, even your faith community. If we can lead a life that is a little bit less distracted, we leave room to find out who we are. If we can see what our distractions are and call them out, we cannot give them agency and control over us.
Can you talk about the role faith plays in your writing?
I write the books I wish had been written for me. I didn’t put Bible verses in the book because there are a lot of people for whom faith isn’t a big deal, but living in authenticity and caring is important to them. I don’t want to assume faith is as important to someone else as it is to me.
You write, “The clarity of purpose, undistracted energy, selfless love, and unselfish pursuits you bring to the world will be your legacy. Everything else will look like a distraction by comparison.” What are some examples of such distractions you address in the book?
Being controlled or manipulated by others, trying to earn the approval of parents or others, and even some of the good things in our lives can be distractions. We need to know what we want, then be resourceful about getting what we need to help us. But we can’t do anything to improve our lives if we’re distracted.
How can we take the first step to toss aside distractions?
Say to yourself, “I’m not going to live life completely undistracted, but how about if I’m undistracted for the next hour?” That’s a beautiful step. Heaven delights in us taking small steps, as it says in Zechariah 4:10: “Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings?”
