One of the biggest threats to your success in business and in life is noise.
Last week, I was part of a conference call with well over 100 attendees. I was a guest speaker for a group of the most highly successful brokers for a publicly-held insurance and risk management organization. I was told that as one of the speakers, my “line” was going to remain “open,” so any sound made through my phone would be heard by everyone.
Because I had a meeting scheduled with a new client soon after the call, I parked myself in a pretty abandoned parking lot in a shaded area. We’ve had unseasonably warm days here in the Puget Sound area, and this day was no exception. Even in the shade, I had the sunroof open to get fresh air. I quickly realized that although I had eliminated the possibility of Captain Jack or Bella causing havoc by howling at some passerby at home, I had the possibility of being unwanted “noise” if a large truck went by, someone from outside yelled, or even if I just suddenly sneezed! I quickly hit the mute button on my iPhone and waited my turn. When that time came, I closed the sunroof and unmuted myself to give my 10-minute presentation.
We should all have such a “mute button” in our lives. I find that many people give too much importance to the noise they constantly hear. Examples include heeding and listening to unsolicited advice; naysayers, complainers, harbingers of impending doom, passive aggressive behavior, and those that dwell in perpetual gloom. In most cases, these “energy suckers” live only to bring others down and don’t have your best interests at heart.
Don’t listen to them. Punch that virtual mute button around your consciousness and decide that you’re not going to fall victim to the noise. Just like I was committed not to let some inadvertent clatter distract from the conference call, neither should you allow unwanted and fallacious noise to throw you off course.
Focus on making your own music.
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
~ Oscar Wilde
