Moms are Master Noise Filters

Noise isn't just what we hear, it's what we see, smell, touch; it's even the energy waves we feel from people around us. Add technology on top of all that and we have noise from social media, music, news, videos, email, and texts. It is a wonder that we ever find quiet or know what to do with it when it's there.

If anyone understands noise, it's moms. But moms learn how to filter noise and address the greatest needs first. They sift and sort through data in a split second and frequently have to make decisions that quickly too. Moms are built to listen, really listen, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hear the unspoken words of a baby or the underlying angst of a teenager.

So how does this noise filtering skill translate to the workplace? Speaking as a mom, I have more tolerance of noise than I did before motherhood, in other words, noise doesn't stress me out as much as it used to. I know when to listen, when to forward an email to my boss, when to put on my headphones to drown out conversations, and what my top priority is: the text I get from my kids when they get home from school.

I've also learned that the loudest voice doesn't always deserve the most attention. I can't say how many times I've wanted to have my own type of tantrum when my teenage kids are pushing each other's buttons and yelling at a decibel that makes the cats hide. Instead, I ask for them to listen to each other and if anything, agree to disagree. A mom's voice of reason is sometimes all a situation needs to put things in perspective.

I also think moms understand how important it is to escape the noise at times, in order to recharge. If they didn't they might over-pluck their eyebrows and look surprised for a month. When life gets too loud, I take time to remember when I was a teenager and walked alone in a pasture for over a mile to find my horse. As I walked, I listened to the birds and the sound of the wind. There weren't any voices or traffic sounds, and I wasn't glued to a phone walking with my head down (mostly because they didn't exist at the time.) I noticed the apples in the trees, and as I got closer, I could hear horses blowing dust from their noses and stomping flies off their legs. It was peaceful and I was able to do something so important during that time--breath.

So whether it be in the work place or at home, a mom's ability to hear noise, ignore noise and be grateful for noise makes them invaluable to any team.