Are you letting distractions get in the way of your success?
If you’re a social media user or a newspaper reader, you know that there is a lot happening in the world. Banks are failing, oil prices are skyrocketing, and politicians are saying crazy stuff every day, but all of these things are just distractions. You can’t control banks, you’re not a big oil executive, and you probably aren’t running for office, either. So, are these things really worth your mental capacity that could be better spent on something else?
One of the things I’ve learned in my career is you can’t listen to the noise if you want to be successful. There will always be a new reason to give up or change paths, but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had let all the distractions of the world get in the way of me pursuing my goals.
Instead, I focused 100% of my energy on the three things I can actually control: what I talk about, what actions I take, and what results I get.
What can you do today to set yourself up for tomorrow?
Over the last 20 years, I’ve developed this method of planning that allows me to focus my energy on the things that matter most. The things that will incrementally and dynamically drive significant results. I evaluate everything I say and every action I take based on how it will set me up for success in the future. Is this thing going to help me grow tomorrow? What about this week? This month? This year, even? If not, then it’s probably a distraction or something outside of my control.
It’s human nature to crave control, and that’s why many people’s automatic response to being out of control is anxiety or fear. But, if the world was going to end tomorrow, worrying about it today is not going to change that future. We have to make an active choice to tune out the noise and only think about what we can control.
But, how do you know if your actions are driving real future value? That’s where the results come into play.
God gave us all the gift to choose to own what’s happening in our own minds and to choose where we’re going to direct the energy, effort, and effect. When you start making intentional choices about what you focus on, the results speak for themselves. You’ll quickly be meeting goals and then exceeding those goals and looking for ways to beat what you accomplished yesterday, last week, last month, and so on.
You will become a living, breathing example of what’s possible, and that has the power to influence others in a big way.
When you focus on what’s within your control, those you influence will follow suit
It’s estimated that 18% of workers are actively disengaged from their job and the business they work for. And a big part of this is probably because they don’t get the coaching they need to think like a leader does. They are letting distractions get in their way, and aren’t focusing on things within their control. They’re complaining about their workload or that they aren’t making enough money, but ultimately those things are out of their control.
What’s in their control is the action they take to change their situations.
This energy is toxic to a workplace, and it’s important for leaders to combat this by teaching people how to think, speak, and act in a way that drives value for themselves and the business. Show people that by filling their minds with meaningful work, they can grow at exponential levels compared to if they were worried about things they couldn’t control.
But, leaders can’t just talk the talk, they need to walk the walk to garner that buy-in from employees and get the entire team thinking and acting solely based on what’s within their control. When they see the owner of the company or their manager creating their own success based solely on impacting what they can control, there’s no question that this methodology can work.
Soon enough, your entire team has the same mindset. They’re thinking and acting in a way that prioritizes results, which is a win-win for your employees and your business.
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Creation is a basic instinct for survival, and that applies to business, too
Learning to create your own success is an essential skill, just like our early ancestors needed to create and innovate to continue the human race. We, as business owners, need to get really good at creation when times are good in order to set us up for success when times get bad. And learning to focus on what’s within our control and tune out distractions is a big part of creation.
Nothing in life is handed to us. We must harness the powers of our minds and activities to reach the success we crave. And that starts with a shift in focus.
Ready to shift your focus and tune out the things you can’t control? I want to support you in that journey! In fact, I’m releasing a book on this exact topic! Learn more and preorder your copy today.
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