TURN YOUR RADIO DOWN SO YOU CAN HEAR! BY LATOYA EARLY

Last night I had a moment, I laughed for a minute and then my brain went into over drive. Have you ever been in the car driving and you were having a difficult time finding your destination? The kids were laughing, side conversations were going, or the music was just too loud, and you just couldn't seem to concentrate? I mean you set-up the GPS and everything, but when it was time to arrive to your destination it seemed as if your directions had you turned all around?

If you're anything like me, while driving, I can't concentrate on my destination when there is too much noise, it's like I can't focus. Most people can't work in silence, they need headphones, white noise or something audible to help keep them focused. But me, I've learned silence is golden and it’s the best time to SEE. I can remember being in the car with my mom as a child and if she was turned around in her directions she'd yell "turn that radio down so I can see" of course as children that was hilarious and insane all at the same time. Why do you need to turn the radio down so you can see? What does your eyes have to do with your ears? Well of course as children there are many things our parents did that we didn't understand until we were functioning adults. Ohhhh, now I understand, when I would ask a question and she would say "No" and I'd ask "why" and she would respond...."because I said so" lol parents. Looking back on some of the things I experienced as a child makes me so much more appreciative now that I am a functioning adult.

*Functioning Adult- An adult who lives responsibly by working and raising family.

Turn down the radio so I can see, while it was funny as a child I can now very clearly understand the value in this statement as an adult. Let’s think about our 5 senses - Taste, Touch, Hear, See, and Smell. All of which are tied together in some way at the connecting point of our brain to help us perceive the world around us. Which means your senses can function together simultaneously at one point or another or interchange with one another. Your 5 senses can send information to your brain without even asking your permission. Whether it’s a smell that connects to a memory or a song that connects to an old boo, our 5 senses has a way of causing a distraction in our thinking. Okay example, have you ever smelled something, and it was like you could taste it and it completely turned you off? Or, how about the moment you see a weird or abnormal shape and it makes your skin crawl. Yikes, just picturing tiny holes clustered together is freaking me out. What about the time you tasted a food item and it made you never want it or anything similar again. Our 5 senses are connected in so many ways, including being lost while driving and needing to turn the radio down so you can see.

Your 5 senses flair in the exact same way when you're trying to concentrate with your eyes and the sound of noise becomes a distraction. For some people, like me, your brain is unable to concentrate when trying to comprehend audible words and physical words. Yes, I can walk a chew bubble gum, but I can’t read and listen to music, or write with a podcast playing in the background. My brain would go insane. This is one reason I believe multi-tasking is less of a skill and more of a distraction, but I digress. My point is, sometimes we have so much noise going on in our lives we can't SEE our destination or destiny. Noise, with or without words can be a distraction and if you’re unable to concentrate in business, life, or on small projects you have to identify what noise is causing a distraction in your life. Your noise could be friends, work, money, or even doubt, it can become so loud you can barely concentrate on your success.

Turn the radio down so you can see, be mindful of the noise that is distracting you from reaching your destination (destiny). While it may seem like you can multi-task, it's only causing a distraction, preventing you from focusing on one thing at a time and setting you further back from your destiny. Turn down your radio... Here are 4 tips I want to share with my fellow business owners. We are the kings and queens of doing it all ourselves, but a championship isn’t won by a team of 1.

Map out your destination- Put the address (where you desire to be in business) in your GPS before your route starts. Stop trying to navigate and drive all at the same time. You’re distracting yourself and other drivers. Plan for a successful arrival and stop trying to wing it.
Evaluate your circle - the best passenger is the passenger that quiets the car and reads the directions from the GPS. If your passenger is being just as disruptive as the radio, put them OUT.
All noise isn't good noise- Okay you're the one who likes to work in noise, cool, what are you listening too? You cannot effectively concentrate in rachetness (music that isn’t enhancing your intellect). I don't care how dope the beat is, your brain is processing every word, it’s trained to do so. So, whether it processes in your current work or later, every seed has a harvest!
Ask for directions - Your car charger stopped working and your phone is dead. No more GPS and you are completely lost. Stop and ask for directions, stop running out gas, getting frustrated and staying stuck. There are people skillfully trained to help you reach your destination.

Turn your radio down so you can hear!