Blocking Out the Noise

Intense focus.

We talk a lot about goals - figuring out our goals, setting them, achieving them. I can’t think of any greater example of achieving goals than watching Olympians compete. I’ve been traveling and haven’t had time to watch much of the Olympics, but I caught a few women’s track and field events that impressed me. 

Julien Alfred set up on the blocks for the women’s 100 meter race. Her level of intense energy alignment was fiercely intimidating. She journeyed to a deep, internal core of hyper-focus. Everyone watching her knew she was going to win before the race even started. She dominated the event to win the first Olympic medal in St. Lucia’s history (and it was gold)! 

Julien lined up beside Gabrielle Thomas and Brittany Brown to compete in the 200 meter race the next day. Julien was focused but Gabrielle tore it up! It was as if she engaged a turbo buster to catapult her across the finish line. The look on her face after she realized she won gold was unforgettable - full of genuine surprise and joy.

Brittany Brown eked out a bronze amongst heavy competition. She collapsed in exhaustion onto the track with a huge smile across her face. She did it! She won an Olympic medal!

These are examples of intense focus directed towards specific action. 

To succeed you must become a master at blocking out any distracting noise.

The Noise

A lot of life is noise. 

Revisiting that 100 meter race that Julien Alfred crushed. She ran in competition against Sha’Carri Richardson, considered to be the fastest woman in the world. Sha’Carri was expected to win the 100 meter but landed silver instead. 

One news headline proclaimed “Sha’Carri Richardson has two-word response after Olympics heartbreak,” implying the silver medal is a consolation prize for defeat. You have to dig deep into the story to find that her two-word response to receiving a silver was “very happy.” 

This is all noise. Sha’Carri had her experience in the moment the race occurred. Everything else is appearance, prejudice, and opinion. Prejudice is in reference to preconceived opinions that are not based on reason or actual experience. 

Alex Walsh, an American swimmer who won silver in the 2020 Olympics, won bronze for a split second before she was disqualified on a technicality. The press fed on her departure from the arena without commenting to reporters. This is noise.

Noise is anything and everything outside your personal experience (in the moment that experience happens). Even your own biases and opinions contribute to the noise. 

Entering the Zone of Intense Focus

How does anyone accomplish anything in life? They try, they fail, they try again. But it can’t be half-assed focus; it has to be constant and consistent. That doesn’t mean that things never go sideways. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned. Give it your best effort, learn along the way, make adjustments, and keep moving forward.

As you are well aware by now, the recipe for success is a package of self-awareness, goal setting, and obsessive focus directed towards specific action.

During an interview Gabrielle Thomas relived her experience: “I actually blacked out for the race . . . . It’s the most bizarre feeling when you get into a flow and you get into that energy where nothing else matters but the finish line. As far as I was concerned, I was the only one in that race.”

She blocked out the noise. 

How can you block out the noise? You aren’t an Olympian preparing for a race, but in a way you are. These athletes are working on a dream. You have a dream life that you want to live. A dream life takes intense focus.

Identify the noise. Noise is anything that is not in alignment with what you intend to accomplish. It’s appearance - projecting a false reality of what is really happening. Also, it refers to aligning to a vision that is not what you really want. This may look like imposter syndrome and fear of failure. 

The opinions and prejudice of people around you, as well as your own opinions and prejudice. That mental battle between what you say you want and what you do (your actions) is torturous.  

Block the noise. Identifying the noise that surrounds you takes a healthy dose of self-awareness. It comes in many forms - competition, helpful feedback, extreme criticism, excessive praise. You can ignore it, confront it, or engage with it. However, if you engage with noise, it will distract you to no end.

When athletes are competing they are aware that others are competing against them. They are well aware of their odds of winning. However, the intensely focused athletes don’t turn their heads to see who is to the left or right. They may see them in their periphery, but they don’t give them attention. Doing so could lose them the race.

You, likewise, don’t have time to entertain the unaligned views, opinions, and biases of other people. 99.99% have not done what you are trying to do. 

Focus intensely by targeting specific action. Have a plan (goal), but produce more than you plan. Know your key performance indicators (how are you measuring growth), but don’t get sidelined by them. How you measure growth guides and informs your next actions, but they are not the next actions. 

For example, one of my measurements is the number of views I receive. That data helps me identify the topics that appeal to people the most. Data can become a distraction if you alter your mission and vision and lose sight of what you want to accomplish. It can distract you if you obsess over the numbers you’re seeing. 

Action over planning. Action over analytics. Action wins the race (or at least gets you over the finish line).

Do You Need Help Tapping Into Your Potential?

Are you struggling to meet your goals and wish you had support? Have you ever considered working with a coach? You may not know what a coach does.

One-on-One Coaching:

• You and I develop an individualized plan targeting your specific goals

• You receive individualized support from me

• Answers to your specific questions

• Guidance on your specific issues and blocks

• Accessibility to me outside coaching sessions for added support (individual texts and emails to check in)

• Your plan leads to learning how your personal growth is in your control

Are you ready to take action but are at a loss on what step to take next? 

I can teach you how to get started and accelerate your growth by using repeatable methods. Need the tools? I’ve got them. The goal is always to make you independent. I should be working myself out of a job. Once you take off, you may want to have a session from time to time, especially if you are scaling your goals. A good coach teaches you how to stand on your own two feet. Contact me today. Are you ready to CONNECT?