The sheer volume of data being thrown at us every day is mind boggling.
Consider this: in 2009 alone, it is estimated that over 247 billion emails were sent per day.* That’s more than 2.8 billion per second! Sure, many of those are just spam, but that’s still a ton of static being hurled your way. And that’s just in email alone.
For a few seconds, let your brain attempt to add up the number of messages sent through all other mediums like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Web sites, ads, etc. It’s like trying to count the stars—you quickly run out of brain space to calculate it.
And how many messages are thrown at you each day? It feels like millions. It’s probably just thousands. But even thousands will do voodoo on your brain. They make things foggy and keep you from noticing the really good stuff.
The exact same thing is happening to the people you are trying to reach.
Their brains are foggy. Like you, they’re overwhelmed by the monotonous droning effects of white noise. Is it possible to cut through the fog? What will it take for your message and ministry to really matter?
Here are 3 ways you can cut through the white noise and get noticed:
1. Humble yourself, even when it hurts
Just this week, a close friend and client called and shared details of a big money ministry “deal” he’s involved in that’s turning out to be a nightmarish “ordeal.”
The word rapacious comes to mind.
The stakes are high, the power brokers are at the table grasping for all they can and the stress is on. He’s definitely hurting and feeling the pain!
Unfortunately, “Christian” organizations (still run by humans) don’t always do the right thing. Fortunately, my friend is rock solid spiritually and is doing the right thing—staying humble and processing this from God’s perspective.
I know it’s counter-intuitive, but, if you want to cut through the noise and get noticed, then humble yourself even when it hurts.
Even if people don’t notice, God does. That’s what really matters anyway.
2. Pour value in others, even when there’s nothing in it for you
It seems to me that leaders typically fall into one of three categories: Those who pour value into others regardless of what they may or may not gain from it, those who pour value into others for the purpose of gaining from it and those who don’t care about pouring value into others at all, but expect others to serve them.
We are nothing. Period. We deserve nothing but death and hell. But, sometimes leaders get all prima donna and think everybody owes them something.
I know it’s difficult, but, if you want to cut through the noise and get noticed, then pour value into others with no concern for how it will benefit you.
Long-term, you will not only build a life of character, but you will also gain the bonus of meaningful and lasting relationships.
3. Clarify often, because clarity rules
Recently, an influential ministry leader shared with me some of the daily decisions and frustrations he faces. He feels fragmented, unfocused and pulled in a million different directions.
And he’s not alone.
As a ministry and church leader consultant, I see firsthand how the lack of clarity wreaks havoc on organizations. Millions of dollars are waisted and relationships are strained. Ministries are often ineffective and don’t have near the impact they could have if they simply valued and pursued clarity.;
I’m not saying it’s simple to get there, or that having it will solve all your problems. But, more issues than you might imagine can be linked back to the lack of clarity.
I know it’s grueling, but, if you want to cut through the noise and get noticed, then aggressively pursue clarity. There is absolutely no substitute.
If done well, the process may spank you, but the outcome is oh so worth it.
*Statistics, extrapolations and counting by Radicati Group from May 2009 estimate the number of emails sent per day (in 2009) to be around 247 billion. 247 billion messages per day means more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second. Around 80% of these millions of message are but spam and viruses. The genuine emails are sent by around 1.4 billion email users.
