Over the past 20 plus years I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some really smart people that run extremely successful organizations. Through coaching discussions and leadership alignment sessions I’ve noticed a pattern of steps and behaviors that high performing teams and individuals seem to follow. Whether these steps are intentional unintentional, it’s allowed me the opportunity to create what I refer to as the 7 Rules for success. One of those rules seems to ring true today more than ever and that’s to “Avoid the Noise”
On your road to success you will likely encounter a lot of distractions. Most of these distractions are there to derail you from your goals or at the very least cause you to focus your energy and attention on the wrong things.
Let’s start with the most obvious- our smart phones and technical gadgets. We know that tech companies have created software designed to tap into our basic human needs for stimulation. All the binging and buzzing, scrolling and tapping isn’t there by accident. These algorithms are training us to focus our attention on the small shots of dopamine being released into our systems every time we find something on our tiny screens that interest us.
While I love my technical gadgets and probably would have a hard time running a business without them, I also am aware of the need to unplug from the matrix as much as possible.
Another form of noise is the constant bombardment of political advertisements in our seemingly never-ending cycle of elections. No matter which side of the aisle you fall or what policies you support, I’m all for getting out there and voting- but does election day have to be every day? And if we must actually see and hear about these elections on a 365 day schedule- here’s an idea- Stop talking about what the other candidate is not, and start talking about what type of candidate YOU are!
Nothing gets really intelligent, highly productive people distracted easier than a quick poke at their political values and ideals. Keep yourself out of the fray and focus on what creates value for you and your business.
Probably one of the most challenging of all the distractions we face… Naysayers. You know these people. Some work with you, some for you and some are simply the people you surround yourself with outside the workplace. These people simply have nothing good to say about what you want and where you are going. They like to pick apart your plans and point out each and every flaw.
These are the folks that simply love pontificating on why something you are planning will just not work out.
Anything great that’s ever been accomplished by anyone, no doubt had a lot of people standing around telling them it couldn’t be done. Sixty years ago and gentleman named Roger Bannister had a goal to run the first mile in under 4 minutes. Doctors and scientists repeatedly said humans aren’t designed for that and it was physically impossible, some even thought the heart would simply explode under such exertion. Of course we all know that Bannister ignored the naysayers and went about his business of becoming the first man to accomplish such an amazing feat. What’s most interesting is that within a week of breaking the four-minute mile- 2 other people did it as well.
Anyone can stand on the sidelines and give you lists of reason why something won’t work. Your job this year is to put on your blinders and earplugs and power forward. At some point you may want to consider replacing some of those people around you with others that are excited for you to accomplish more in your business or your life.
If you truly plan to be successful in your business and in your life, than learning to Avoid the Noise and focus your energy and attention on your goals and outcomes is not just a good idea, it’s essential.
This week take some time to identify to the main distractions in your life that derail you from your well-crafted plans and cause you to focus your effort on the wrong things. Then take a few minutes to decide on a strategy to avoid each of them.
Thoughts for the week:
-If it doesn’t:
- Make you HAPPY
- Make you BETTER.
Don’t make time for it. – Unknown
-Life is a hailstorm of distractions. It’s not the monster that stops us but the mosquito. –Robert Allen
-You are the product of personal focus or personal distractions. The choice is yours. –John Di Lemme
-The most dangerous distractions are the ones you love, but that don’t love you back. –Warren Buffett
-What distracts us will define us. We don’t need to swing at every pitch. –Bob Goff
-If I had a dollar for every time I got distracted, I wish I had a puppy. – Unknown
Looking forward to our next connection.
Coach Tim
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