Every day we get bombarded with information. Whether it is online, on the television or even on the tube, companies are fiercely competing for your attention to make a decision and take action. We have got used to this, to the extent that we don’t even really notice it.
Many in our generation have also been raised to believe that ‘we can have it all’. There are so many opportunities out there and we are spoilt for choice – it is understandable to see where this view comes from.
But, this ‘have it all’ philosophy actually brings with it a great deal of pressure.
Pressure to make the ‘right’ choices – whatever those might be.
The problem with this belief is that it makes it difficult to see the difference between opportunities and distractions. The volume of choice we are presented with doesn’t make decision-making easier – it makes it harder.
Imagine going to a restaurant where the menu was 200 pages long and packed with some of the best possible choices you could imagine. You can only eat one thing. How does this make you feel?
Surely, you should be happy at all the opportunities in front of you? Choice is a good thing – isn’t it?
The problem is that many options often leads to a fear of missing out (FOMO) which when you think about it really means that despite the volume of choices that you’re presented with – there is a good chance that you are not going to be happy with the one that you choose.
This sounds ridiculous but have you ever found yourself thinking this?
FOMO is a major driver of behaviour for many people. I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing in its mild form and I think that we all experience it to some extent. However, if left unchecked, FOMO can lead to indecisiveness and a lack of commitment and focus.
If we accept that whatever we decide, there is a risk that we might have missed out on a better opportunity, it can be difficult to make decisions and commit to something.
This issue has been brought into stark focus as I’ve begun running my own business. My time is by far my most valuable commodity because it is the only thing that I cannot get more of. Yet everyday, I am bombarded by distractions disguised as opportunities.
I am not just talking about the distractions that are easy to spot. Checking your fantasy football team, looking at your phone, even just responding to emails as they come in.
I am talking about the distractions that disguise themselves as opportunities.
The opportunities that have an impact on my focus. These are much harder to spot and depend entirely on your ability to connect your long-term vision to your daily behaviour.
Let me bring this to life with an example.
In my business, we work with leaders who want to improve their leadership and the leadership of their teams. That makes it sound like we have an enormous and unfocussed target market. We don’t.
The number of ‘leaders’ out there who think of leadership as a position of authority is enormous. The number of ‘leaders’ who confuse leadership with management is even greater.
Many of these people spend no time investing in developing their own leadership or that of their people. They believe that they’re good leaders because they have experience and in some cases they may well be right.
But you can’t improve your leadership unless you want to.
If you don’t want to, if there isn’t a need, it will never become a high enough priority for you. We’re not interested in talking to these people – they are outside of our target market.
‘Opportunities’ which don’t bring me into contact with my target market are distractions. ‘Opportunities’ which don’t help me to achieve my vision are also distractions.
Networking with ‘leaders’ who don’t WANT to improve is a distraction disguised as an opportunity.
Entrepreneurs get bombarded with opportunities – there is no ‘project plan’ for building a business. Every day, you have to make decisions, which will ultimately contribute to or reduce the chances of making your business a success.
Once you become an entrepreneur, you start to see opportunity everywhere. But this can lead us to ‘spread ourselves too thin’ and I am confident contributes to the failure of many start-ups.
In order to succeed, focus is vital.
You can’t do everything and if you try to, chances are you’ll be unsuccessful. Pick one thing, two at the most and dedicate yourself to making these visions a reality.
Build a process, which helps you to understand the difference between a distraction and an opportunity. This could be a simple flowchart but at the end, the question has to be – is this going to take me to where I want to go? Is this going to help me to realise my vision? If the answer is yes, it is worth exploring. If it’s not, then perhaps you should decline.
So what are you saying ‘No’ to?
When faced with an opportunity how do you know if you should take it or not? How do you know if it is a real opportunity or a distraction? What is your process?
Saying ‘No’ gives you control because it means that you are not at the mercy of whatever comes your way. Unless you’re saying No and actively turning down some opportunities, chances are you are working inefficiently by spreading yourself too thin.
It is better to do a few things well than it is to do many things to a level of mediocrity.
There is only one caveat to all this. If someone asks for help, make time for him or her. Always. Because you reap what you sow. Help others to achieve their goals by prioritising people – because at the end of the day, what sort of person doesn’t make time to help people when they ask for it?
If you’ve enjoyed this article and found it useful – please like and share, you’ll be doing me a huge favour!
If you’d like to have a conversation about anything I’ve mentioned here or you’re interested in improving your leadership capability or the leadership capability of your team, please feel free to get in touch via the contact page.