No, I’m not talking about literal noise like explosions, nails on chalkboard, or Hilary Duff, although that stuff is bad too.

I’m talking more about the distractions and negativity that prevent you from doing what you want to do. There’s three main types of noise: audio noise, visual noise, and mental noise.

Say you’re at home, which you probably are. Unless the TV or your MP3 player help you stay productive, I’d turn those things off. Your kids (if you’ve got any) are more important than your business, but they can be huge distractions for you. Find time or make time so you can get things done.

Visual noise is another name for clutter. If your home office is really messy, it’s real noisy in there. I’ll admit it: I have a messy room and it affects my productivity. I’ll get to cleaning it…tomorrow.

In my opinion though, mental noise can make or break you. It has a far greater influence on you than the other kinds of noise. If you were in a state of mental turmoil, the most soothing of music and the most beautiful of environments would not do much to calm you. On the other hand, if you were in a state of calm and inner peace, I doubt you’d be fazed by much around you.

As Internet marketers, we face a lot of noise because we’re often surrounded by people who don’t understand what we do. This noise can unfortunately come from those who are closest to us like our family and friends.

Friends: “So…what do you do?”
You: “I make money online.”
Friends: “Oh…that’s interesting. How’s that working out for you?”

Family: “What are you doing on the computer?”
You: “Just Internet marketing stuff.”
Family: “You gotta be careful, there are a lot of scams out there.”
You: “Trust me, I’ll be fine.”
Family: “Maybe you should get a job.”

Of course, they all mean well, but if they don’t fully support you and show enthusiasm or interest in what you do, then it’s simply noise. This noise might then cause mental noise in your head, which will distract you and slow you down.

I can’t remember exactly when this was, but between 5 and 10 years ago, I took some golf lessons. Nothing fancy, just learning how to use different types of clubs, how to stand, how to swing, and all that. My instructor’s name was Jack, and I’ll never forget something that Jack told me.

Jack said (and I’m paraphrasing here): “It’s very common for parents and relatives to teach kids how to play golf. It’s only natural for them to want to teach their kids what they know, but it’s the wrong approach. They always mean well, but almost always end up teaching them the wrong form. Learn from the experts; listen to what they have to say, because they know what they’re talking about.”

Perhaps the main point you should take away from this post is that you should surround yourself with positive things.

If you work better in quiet environments, find yourself a quiet environment to work in.

If you work in a cluttered environment, clean up (even if it hurts a little).

If you are surrounded by people with negative attitudes, find yourself some folks with positive attitudes and surround yourself with them.

Once you do, your business will grow, no matter where it’s at right now.

Best,
Curtis