Noise & Mindset
You're very aware of the power of influence on your mindset, attitude, productivity, happiness, consistency, and so forth. However, in today's society, perhaps it's time for a deeper look or a refresher.
"Influence is powerful and subtle." -Jim Rohn
My, how true those words are! I don't know about you, but I find it relatively easy to let outside influences get out of control on a regular basis. Almost everywhere you look, there's an opportunity for someone or something to influence you!
The Truth
Regardless of how much personal development, performance psychology or skilled coaching work you do, it's going to be very difficult to have an anabolic mindset when the noise or negative influence is out of control in your life and business.
Where does the noise come from?
TV
Radio
Social Media
Music
Associations
Billboards
Books
Magazines
Email
Gas Station Videos
Newspapers
Texts
Notifications
You get the point! It's everywhere! It impacts your performance, big time!
A Parable
I recently read a story from one of the top performance athletic coaches in the country. I'm sure you are familiar with the story of the gentleman that lived on McDonald's food for 30 days and the catastrophic consequences of that diet. Well, this performance coach decided to consume all the negative influence he could get his hands on for 28 days! He only made it 26 days before he had a nervous breakdown! For 26 days he watched the news, read the papers, consumed social media, etc. in copious amounts daily. He thought with his advanced training and methodologies for client performance, he could out think negative influence. After 26 days, he would break down and cry regularly. He had intense anxiety. He was in desperate need of emotional support. Understandably!
Before I decided to write this article, I had to ask myself, do I really think this is true for me? I've been a human performance fanatic for over a decade. I have multiple certifications based in human performance I know have impacted me greatly. I've tested and lived the stuff! My conclusion: It's absolutely true for me too!
Success Leaves Clues
High performers in various disciplines often surround themselves with great people. Loving family, positive friends, the best coaches/trainers, comfortable environments, performance psychologists, etc.
Why? It creates barriers, accountability, and it pushes them up instead of letting the noise deteriorate their performance. It's crucial!
While you're probably not an NFL quarterback or Olympic sprinter, adding positive influences and barriers will result in more resilience.
Close
As I reflect on my own life and business, I know that I perform at my highest level when I block out the noise that's within my control and focus on the highest use of my time in that moment.
During my coaching training at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, I had peer coaches that coached me one on one for an entire year. One of the many great takeaways I had was learning to recharge effectively every single week specifically for ME. Sunday is a day that I don't work. I connect with my family. We do fun things. We go to church or watch a sermon. We play games. We hike, bike, etc.. I read, ponder, journal, and sit in silence. I HONOR my highest values. I avoid ALL negative influences just ONE DAY a week. I block out the world and it's influence. I'm not perfect at it, but it's been a huge game changer for me! My best days are almost always the days I do a dang good job of blocking out the noise!
Mindset training is so important for performance and I coach on it constantly. But, we must be continually aware of the power of negative influence and the noise that can consume us and pull us off course so quickly and repeatedly. If you find yourself in a funk or you aren't operating near your potential, I urge you to take a serious look at your influences repeatedly!