So much happening in the last week with the election. And it doesn’t look like the end is in sight.
Stack that on top of COVID, which went from “two weeks to slow the spread” to “8 months of who-knows-what is happening.”
Which serve as a short-and-sweet reminder of what it takes to dominate and get to the next level…
In times like these – COVID, Government shut-downs, elections with interesting and disputed outcomes – we are inclined to give our attention to things we can’t control.
(And let’s be real: Even when there’s not a bunch of BIG NEWS happening, we still have this tendency.)
We want to know what’s going on. So we watch the news, follow our favorite pundits on social media, and banter with strangers on our friends’ Facebook walls.
Why? Because we trick ourselves into thinking we have some sort of control over a thing if we pay attention to it.
But you can’t control COVID numbers. You can’t control what your government does. You can’t control election outcomes.
You could have researched all the details of every possible path to victory for the president… and you affect the outcome just as much as your ignorant neighbor who doesn’t have a clue about politics.
Yeah, it’s good to have a pulse on what’s going on. But do we really need to be dialed in to every little piece of commentary, round the clock?
I saw a tweet last Weds (the morning after the election) that summed this up nicely:
“You could wake up right now, look at the TV for 15 seconds, and be in the exact same place as everyone who watched every second all night long.”
And isn’t that the truth for so many things? We can stay informed, but spend a lot less time and energy doing it.
Maybe you don’t watch much news or go to the news websites, or the election is of zero interest to you.
Even so, your newsfeed on FB, Insta, Twitter, is filled with junk that is designed to distract you. These “attention robbers” employ teams of psychologists to come up with new ways to keep you sucked into their platforms.
SO – the first step to leveling up your practice:
Give your attention to the things you can control, and cut out the rest.
Can’t control the inflammatory comments Karen posts on Facebook. But you can control if you follow her or not.
Can’t control what the pundits are saying on the news. But you can turn off the TV.
Can’t control what everyone else is saying or doing. But you can control what you let into your personal ecosystem.
(BTW this message is as much a reminder for me as for anyone else who might find it useful.)
No one is immune to the distractions. And it takes constant, conscience choices to cut distractions from our lives.
No matter what happens – who gets elected, how soon a COVID vaccine comes out, or what the media says to stir you up – you still have a job to do.
You have patients to serve. They need you to choose to focus on the things you can control:
Choose to be positive. Choose to lead your team well. Choose to develop and train your sales people. Choose to create a welcoming environment for your patients.
Not just today. Not just during this election cycle. Not just until COVID is “under control.” Every. Single. Day.
Because if you don’t make the conscious choice of how to allocate your time, energy and attention…
Someone else is going to choose for you.
That’s all I got for you today. Make it a great, focused week.
– Troy “Focus Factor” Cole