Importance is subjective. Nothing is inherently important. It’s important if you assign it importance.
I’ve heard that success is directly related to the number of tough conversations you’re willing to have (Tim Ferriss I think?). It’s also related to the number of seemingly important things you’re willing to ignore.
It’s important to choose to make a great many things unimportant.
If you get really good at ignoring big, dramatic, energy-filled, time-consuming, mentally taxing, worrisome, exciting things that aren’t firmly within your zone, you’ll get really good at whatever you have in that zone. What it is matters less than what it isn’t.
Every time you choose not to assign importance to something everyone else deems important, but that is outside your zone, you get a little stronger in your zone. The effect compounds as you move up, because the level of importance for the unimportant things ratchets too, and the difficulty of ignoring them. A lot of flattering or fearful things come up and vie for your attention. Most of them are unimportant wolves, but it’s hard to see through the important sheep’s clothing.
It helps me to start from a default assumption that everything is unimportant. It has to prove that it’s important to helping me achieve my narrow range of goals. Few things pass the test.
I get more productive the more things I decide to make unimportant. I get sharper on the few things to which I choose to assign importance. Plus, I’m happier.
Here are two posts that go a little more in-depth on Importance Snares”
Drama is the enemy of progress.
Two ways people try to control you (insults and flattery…both unimportant).