For entrepreneurs, noise is constant. It’s pervasive and consuming. Like the afternoon sugar-high we reach for on a stressful day, we crave and reach for noise. We think it answers every question, without having to pause for breath, so that we too, think pausing isn’t necessary. But it is. Breaking from the noise is vital. Going analogue in business isn’t antiquated. On the contrary, it might just save us states Annabel Koh Wilson, Founder-Director, of Living Ashram
From our morning commute to our nightly routine, we are listening to all voices except our own. Through our earphones and screens, an endless parade of voices tell us the news, guide us on our meditation, bring us our music, bombard us with how we should look, feel, think, and act, and what and where we should buy, invest, sell, eat, drink, and travel. If we do not consciously create stillness and space in our lives, our own voices will never be developed nor heard.
One-in-4 adults in the UK are experiencing a mental health issue at any given time , with mental ill health being the leading cost of sickness absence in the UK, costing businesses £35 billion annually. The crisis is even darker for entrepreneurs, with 72% affected by mental health conditions. Yet we continue to unconsciously plug into the grid, and tune out our own feelings and truth.
Do we really need someone else’s voice in our heads, telling us how beautiful the countryside looks when flowers are in bloom, or an app on our phone tracking our emotional and mental health? Could we instead, reclaim our power; look, and really see with our own eyes?
When we reach for noise, what we are really reaching for, is connection, validation, support, and nurture; the heartbeat that enables entrepreneurs to create and thrive.
Much praise has been given to disruptors in the digital age; practically every SME dreams of being David taking on Goliath. Shaking up the status quo through creative efficiency results in breakthroughs that allow SMEs to flourish. Let us apply the same principle, and disrupt our unhealthy and unsustainable addiction to external noise. Instead, let us consciously choose to create the space and stillness, to connect to our intuition and inner guidance.
So put the phone on flight mode before bed. Make time to walk or sit in nature, have meals with meaningful conversations, uninterrupted by technology and noise. Disconnecting from the noise for even 20-30 minutes a day, and connecting to ourselves, starts creating the space where clarity and ideas can grow.
Every time we connect to a device instead of ourselves, we take attention away from our intuition and inner voice. Being analog in a digital world, enables us to create balance that empowers our businesses to expand and flourish in complete alignment and integrity with our intentions.
Annabel Koh Wilson is Founder-Director of Living Ashram, empowering business leaders with holistic health solutions to build thriving, engaged, and motivated workforces.
Pictured: Annabel Koh Wilson, Founder-Director of Living Ashram
