How to Lead in a World of Distraction: Four Simple Habits for Turning Down the Noise

by Clay Scroggins

Without traction, we can’t move forward.

And that leads me to a simple observation: your distractions are holding you back from becoming a better you! They are getting in the way of your ability to grow as a person and as a leader. They are holding you back from exerting effort on your own improvement. The distractions in your life are pulling you away from the things that truly matter, keeping you from living a life of momentum, forward progress, and growth. And that means they will certainly, if they haven’t already, hamper your ability to live your best life. That’s what distractions are meant to do.

The promise behind many of the distractions in our lives is simple: If you pay attention to me, I promise you’ll stop thinking about whatever you were thinking about. Again, that’s what distractions do. They take your mind off whatever your mind was focused on. And that’s about all they have to offer. They don’t necessarily give you something better to think about or focus on. They don’t make you better.

When we give our attention to anything, it will draw us away from something else. And that means that even good things like wanting to learn or wanting to be healthy can become distractions.

Here are three things that are almost always true about the white noise in our lives: 1. It’s masking something. 2. It’s constant. 3. It’s imperceptible.

“Your system is perfectly designed for the results you’re getting.”4

Before we can lead with passion, we need to turn the noise down. We need to find space and quiet to learn how to listen—to hear what’s being said inside us, where there is pain, where there are fears, where there are dreams and hopes that we’ve never said out loud.

Self-leadership demands that you know more about yourself than anyone else.