Sometimes it can get very noisy—noisy in your inbox, noisy in your head, noisy in your market, noisy in your office, noise noise noise.
Now some of this noise is very real—but some of it can be easily silenced.
And I don't just mean taking a holiday and ignoring it all—that's only a good short term solution... long term it's probably going to be bad for business!
The first thing you need to do is decide what you want to listen to. You don't have to listen to everyone and everything, so decide what supports you doing your Thing and in turn what makes your ears hurt :)
It's very tempting to try and listen to 'everything' and 'everyone' to get as much know-how and feedback as you can, but too much can be deafening and mean you can't hear what's important to you and what's not. So you might do nothing as it's better than getting it 'wrong'.
If you have a noisy inbox, decide who you do want to hear from—and there's nothing wrong with getting lots of newsletters and 'marketing' emails... just know how to handle them. Delete the emails and unsubscribe from people who you don't really want to hear from—maybe you thought you 'should' follow them, or they are competitors you feel you 'should' keep an eye on. Trust me, your business will not fall apart if you don't get these emails. In fact, when you're not always making comparisons or trying to follow other people's success plans, you might just have a better business.
If it's noisy in your head, take a break—go for a walk, a swim, meditate, stare out the window, or do that little job or task that's nagging at you noisily so it goes quiet. There's a LOT to be said for having a non-noisy head. And I'm not asking you to take a vow of silence and go all 'Zen' (unless you want to), but do recognise that a minute or more of mindfulness to quash the noise will make you so much better at doing your Thing.
A noisy market is easier to handle—just go create your own mini-market instead. If you're going hoarse shouting loudly to be heard, step away and create a new space where you can speak easily and be heard. This is where having a clear idea of your Thing makes all the difference... add in a Fame Name that's unique, a market you created and a message that's all your own and you've solved the noisy market problem.
And if it's noisy in your office, I suggest you have a tidy up! There's usually more 'noise' coming from your filing that's not done, and your piles of books you've not read than there is actual noise. Tidy up, decide what keeps it quiet for you, and create an office space that works for you. Of course, if there is actual noise then invest in some ear plugs :)
Noise is good if it's energising and supporting you doing your Thing—if the market is cheering you on, and your voice is being heard, that's great noise. If it's music that sings it's way to your Thing that's noise you need. But remember you control the volume, so only turn it up to 11 when, how, and if you want to. You also get to tune out interference too.
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