How To Handle Disruptions and Distractions
Disruptions are the little and big things that interrupt your momentum and steal your confidence. In themselves, they won’t torpedo your dreams, but your reactions to them can.
For more than twenty years I have been an entrepreneur and I have learned to rise and fall with the punches.
From acquisitions to failures, and to award-winning success my emotions have run deep and my passions have been pushed to the limits.
But the truth is, having the courage to dream also comes with its share of disruptions and the risk of failure.
Disruptions are those little and big things that interrupt your momentum and threaten your confidence. If you don’t handle them properly, they can steal your dreams.
All of us face distractions in our day. In fact, according to research conducted at the Statistic Brain Research Institute, the average person has an attention span of 8.25 seconds. This is down 3.75 seconds from 15 years ago.
Learning to focus and stay on course in the midst of distractions is one of the most essential skills today.
The best defense against disruption is to find clarity in the route to your destination. There is little sense in pursuing your dreams if you don’t know where they will take you. When your vision connects to a plan and the plan has specified actions, it is easier to stay on course. Despite what is happening around you, you know what your course of action needs to be on any given day.
If we endure too many distractions, however, we can adopt an attitude of resignation, which can lead to defeat.
Distractions that take me off the course of my day remind me of the video games my children used to play where they would drive a car through an ordinary street and have to avoid obstacles. At the starter speed, it was easy.
But as they progressed in the game to racing car driver speed, one simple distraction could wreck the whole car.
That is me when I am well into a big project and then the distractions hit. I have a tendency to go at a speed where I can’t see the obstacles clearly anymore and then they begin to pile up and threaten to wreck everything.
One of the best ways to get back on track is with the loyalty and support of great team members who step up to the plate under such circumstances and guide you back to the destination route.
If you are working alone, you must turn back to your strategy and align your thoughts with the actions that need to be taken. Self-doubt and self-criticism seem to follow disruptions and distractions, and it is vital when you get derailed to get back on track as quickly as possible.
We all have days when our best laid plans blow up. There is absolutely nothing we can do in this life to ensure that such a thing will never happen again.
But if we get off track, if we get temporarily lost or numbed, nothing is more vital than calmly finding our way back and resuming our journey.
On a more immediate level, lower the possibilities of disruptions when you are working by making it clear that you are moving into the “zone” and should only be disturbed if there is an emergency. Close doors, close windows, and focus until clarity returns.
Paula Morand, CSP is a leadership building, revenue boosting, strategy expanding keynote speaker, author and visionary. This dreaming big and being bold leadership expert and brand strategist brings her vibrant energy, humor and wisdom to ignite individuals, organizations and communities to lead change, growth and bold impact. 23 years, 25,000+ clients, 34 countries, 13 books, former radio personality, 11x award winning entrepreneur and humorous emcee.
To check out Paula’s book, “Bold Courage: How Owning Your Awesome Changes Everything” go to Amazon http://ow.ly/i8yW307ix67
Speaking inquiries email bookings@paulamorand.com or call toll-free 1-888-502-6317.