Six Ways to Cut Through the Noise
The world seems to be getting noisier by the minute. Social media can be a wonderful thing, but it has certainly added to the plight of constant distractions. As just one example, 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day. And 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube each minute. Seriously! Amidst it all, it is no wonder that so many of us struggle with the feeling that we’re not being heard. Who can compete with all that noise? The good news is that we don’t have to compete for anyone’s attention. We don’t have to make people listen to us. Even more importantly, just because we may not feel noticed certainly doesn’t mean that no one cares. In this crazy life, it does often feel like we are each busy running around in a thousand different directions. Well, that’s because we are. But the good news is we can survive in this world of constant noise. What follows are six ways we can thrive alongside all that noise.
How to Thrive Amidst the Noise
1. Listen first.
Perhaps more than anything, people just want to be heard. We have an innate sense as humans of needing to feel understood. One of the best ways we can help someone else to feel important is to simply listen. But that means taking a break from talking, shutting off the internal dialogue some of us have constantly streaming in our mind, and actually listening. Focused listening isn’t as easy as one might think, especially in a world filled with what can feel like continual chaos.
That is why it’s best to engage in Active Listening:
1. Pay Attention
2. Show That You’re Listening
3. Provide Feedback
4. Defer Judgment
5. Respond Appropriately
I think if we all (myself included) talked a little less and listened a little more, it would make the world a better place.
2. Ask the right questions.
Asking questions about people is one good way to cut through the noise and really learn about someone else. But it isn’t about asking just any old questions, because asking bad questions results in bad data. This is why asking the right questions is so crucial because it can help us to uncover key details. Asking open-ended questions often works better than yes/no questions, because they allow us to dig deep and that will organically help to guide the discussion. As Albert Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper questions to ask.” This is an efficient way to gain true insight into something or someone. Focusing on someone else can help drown out all that noise.
3. Find your audience.
There are a lot of people in the world. As I sit at my desk, sipping my coffee and writing this post, the population count is 7.8 Billion. How can there be so many people in the world at the same time yet so many people in this world are feeling painfully alone? Perhaps we should stop trying to get in front of more and more people and instead focus on building the relationships with those people we already have in our lives. Specifically, the ones that cause our “inner lights” to shine, at least a bit brighter. As for those “dimmers” in our lives, there is nothing wrong with cutting people out of our lives. It’s not necessarily personal because sometimes it’s just not a healthy or a mutual fit. As I previously mentioned, there’s a lot of people out there, so don’t waste time with those who don’t help you to become closer to the best version of yourself that you are trying to be.
4. Know when to walk away.
I know this was already mentioned in the last section, but it is so crucial that it deserves its own section and it bears repeating. It is extremely important to know when to walk away. That isn’t signaling defeat, but instead it acknowledges maturity and awareness. No, this doesn’t mean it is acceptable to run away at the first sight of any potential problem, because I would never encourage that. What it does mean is recognizing when a situation is not a healthy one and in turn removing ourselves from it accordingly.
5. Don’t make it personal.
There will be times in your life when you are being heard, but people may not like what you are saying. I typically try to use these types of situations as opportunities to re-evaluate the messages I am giving off or the attitudes I am displaying. At times it has definitely been my issue to take ownership over, and I’ve been able to adjust my behaviors accordingly. Taking the feedback that we receive from others and applying it can be extremely useful. Other times, there will be certain feedback we receive that perhaps wasn’t really meant for us, but was more of a projection from someone else at us. Wrong place, wrong time. Therefore, whatever happens in life, it’s important not to take anything personally.
“Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” Don Miguel Ruiz
There are lessons to learn in some instances but other times it’s best to simply let it go and move on. I know we’ve all been on both sides of this situation many times throughout life. The challenge to figure out what to listen to and what to disregard as irrelevant. As Steven Covey said, “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the power to discern, to choose, to respond, to change.” Therefore, let us each discern with care.
6. Take time to unplug.
In the chaos of life, sometimes we all just need a temporary break from all that noise. Whether that be to pick up your favorite book, go for a walk on the trails with a couple of your best friends, rock out to that album you still find yourself listening to on repeat, take a nap so intense you forget what day it is when you wake up - the list of possibilities here go on and on. There are no wrong answers here. Whatever helps you unplug and unwind your stress levels, do that.
That’s How It’s Done
As you can see, there are a number of tangible ways we can cut through the noise. These are all things that do not cost us any money and they are specific things that we all can do. While they aren’t always going to be easy, they are possible. And that’s some great news.
Questions, comments, or just need to chat? Send me a direct message via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
Cheers until next time,
Crystal
