Noise

Why ambition disguised as urgency is pulling you away from what matters most.

Entrepreneurship is noisy.

Not just with buzzing phones, chat pings, or back-to-back meetings. That’s surface-level. The real noise is quieter. It lingers in the back of our minds and fills the empty spaces in our calendars. It’s the mental clutter, the self-imposed pressure, the ever-growing list of “shoulds” that drift us away from what actually matters.

This noise doesn’t yell, it whispers. But over time, those whispers blur your vision.

It tells us to chase harder. To do more. Be more. Scale faster. Build bigger. And the danger is, this kind of noise rarely feels like a problem. It often disguises itself as ambition.

The Invisible Distraction

We’re surrounded by it. Social media showcases the polished highlight reels of our peers and competitors. We see the funding announcements, the rapid-fire launches, the “10X” growth stories. The underlying message is clear: if you’re not sprinting, you’re failing. That’s the noise.

Greg McKeown calls it the “undisciplined pursuit of more.” Cal Newport names it the enemy of deep focus. Ryan Holiday reminds us that much of our struggle comes not from events themselves, but from the stories we attach to them…the ones telling us we aren’t doing enough.

In my experience though, noise often arrives dressed as opportunity. A new collaboration request. A shiny idea. A project that sounds exciting but lacks true alignment. A simple task even. These don’t look like distractions. They feel important at the time, but that sense of urgency is deceptive. It feeds our need to stay busy, to feel productive, to move forward. And slowly, without realizing, we veer off course.

My Wake-Up Call

There was a time when I found myself constantly doing. Taking on tasks that felt necessary, attending events that didn’t resonate, taking meetings that led nowhere and saying yes to projects that weren’t aligned, just because they sounded exciting or urgent.

At first, it felt like momentum. But the distractions began to pile up. The noise became real and I was constantly switching gears and reacting instead of leading. The days were full, but not fulfilling.

And that’s when I started to feel it.

I was disconnected. From my purpose. From my creativity. And from the joy that has always fuelled my work. A quiet question kept surfacing: Why am I doing this?

So I paused. I took an honest look at how I was spending my time and energy. I got curious, and asked myself some uncomfortable but necessary questions:

Am I acting from intention, or reacting? Am I doing this because it matters, or because it’s expected?

Can someone else take this on?

Is this truly aligned?

That’s when the truth became clear.  I was overwhelmed by distractions. And underneath it all, I was drifting away from what really mattered to me.

Coming Back to Clarity

I learned the hard way that clarity comes from doing what truly matters.

That doesn’t always mean slowing down. It means tuning in to the quiet truth within you.

When I started cutting out what didn’t align, something shifted. I began to feel lighter, more connected. The creativity returned. The decisions became clearer. And the joy, the part that reminds me why I started, came back.

The noise didn’t disappear. But it lost its power. And in its place, I found a sense of focus I hadn’t felt in a long time. That’s when I realized: in a world obsessed with more, the real power comes from knowing what to let go of.

The Noise We Don’t Talk About

What makes noise so dangerous is that it thrives in silence. We don’t often talk about the internal tension that comes with leadership. We rarely say out loud when we feel misaligned, scattered, or overwhelmed.

But almost every entrepreneur I speak with, whether they’re launching their first business or scaling their third, feels that pull.

We’ve been conditioned to chase, to prove, to stay in motion. But eventually, we all need to ask the question that cuts through the noise:

What is this really for? That question isn’t soft. It’s one of the most strategic you’ll ever ask.

A Daily Practice

Noise isn’t something we eliminate one time. It’s something we have to choose every day. For me, it starts with stillness. A moment each morning to reconnect with who I want to be. That’s the foundation of how I choose to live: to be positive, grateful, creative, and joyful. Every single day.

It means walking a little slower. Noticing the signals. Being honest about whether I’m aligned or drifting. It means saying “no” more often. Even when something looks good on paper. It means making decisions from clarity, not ego or not fear.

This isn’t about doing less. It’s about making space for what matters most. Letting the work that lights you up lead the way, and turning down the volume on everything else.

A Question for You

If you’ve been feeling off-centre lately, take a pause and ask yourself:

Where is the noise coming from? What am I still holding onto that no longer serves me? Who do I want to be, even in the middle of the mess?

There’s no universal answer. But the asking is where clarity begins.

And here’s the thing: focus is about peace. And peace isn’t passive. It’s intentional. It’s designed. It’s something you earn.

That kind of clarity, the kind rooted in purpose, presence, and gratitude, is what sets apart the ones who simply build businesses from the ones who build lives that matter.

So let’s talk about it.

What noise is showing up in your world right now?

How do you find your way back to centre when the distractions pile up?

I’d love to hear how you’re finding your way back.