How To Cut Through The Million Distractions

Troy McLaughlin is a husband, proud papa, and fellow podcaster like myself! Troy has over 170 interviews under his belt (WOW) and is an absolute joy to talk to. He’s the founder and co-host of “This Undivided Life,” a podcast that addresses how life pulls us all in a million different directions. Troy offers some incredible insight regarding the reimagining of life in an undivided manner.

Back to the Basics…

Troy was destined for podcasting from when he was just a wee lad. In his own words, Troy describes that he was always able to talk his way in and out of situations, making him the perfect candidate for what he does now! However, life took him on a different path for a good amount of time. He was with Big Brown Company for 36 and a half years and learned a lot about what it takes to be a great leader. Troy breaks leadership down to three C characteristics: curious, committed, and caring. Since then, Troy has used the three C’s as his guiding principles.

What is an “Ally”?

Do you have that person who’s always in your corner? Think real hard about who that is. Once you’ve got it, well…say hello to your ally. Through thick and thin, this person will not abandon ship even if it looks like it’s about to sink. Because it will sink, it always does. Or it has a leak. Leaks can cause overflow, panic, and worry. But allies make the explicit promise that when things start to go sideways, they’re going to be right there with you. Not only that, but you can trust them to walk into the danger WITH you. And if we imagine having that in the workplace…what a difference that would make. At the end of it all, those allies by your side are what truly keep you afloat.

Distractions, Distractions

Let’s face it: life is full of distractions. One rather prevalent one sits right in our pockets. Throughout our daily lives, we absolutely lack FOCUS. We’d rather invest in the small dopamine hits we get when checking our phones every 20 seconds. Sometimes even the act of just holding our phones can distract us, even if we’re not looking at it whatsoever. The challenge is to concentrate on the now, everything that’s around you, everyone that’s in front of you, and just simply be.

Living an Undivided Life

Life needs our undivided attention. It’s strange to think about, but it’s absolutely true. We are all missing things. We’re just like horses with blinders on. We have a limited scope, limited experience, and a limited life. This is where our allies come in handy. We can go to them and say “Hey, show me what I’ve been missing.” We may not recognize it, but we have so many blind spots and we often go on autopilot within our daily routines. We never stop to ask ourselves, “am I being it?” I mean, that can be a really tough question. Am I being intentional? Am I being present? With this person in front of me, am I actually listening to them? Overall, if we’re not intentional, we’re just going in different directions. We’re just moving slowly, breezing through life…wave after wave.

Legacy

At the end of our days, how will people talk about us? What you’ll find is that they often won’t talk about our accomplishments. They’ll talk about how we touched their hearts. That’s it. Those people who are closest to you, they won’t care how much money you made, how fast your car is, or how big your house is. They simply won’t. Those things won’t stick in their brains and resonate with their hearts. They’ll remember your kindness, your spirit, and your intentions. So the question is…are you ready to start living your undivided life?