Clarity Over Volume: Why Less Noise Matters

Everyone is yelling. But what we really need is clarity over volume.

Online. In real life. In comment sections. In podcasts. In captions. Everybody has a take. A side. An opinion. A reaction.

And somewhere along the way, we started believing that being loud meant being powerful.

It doesn’t.

Loud is easy. Clear is rare.

Most people aren’t unclear because they lack intelligence. They’re unclear because they’re overwhelmed, distracted, and reacting instead of deciding.

Volume feels productive. Clarity actually is.

Loud Is a Mask. Clarity Is a Mirror.

Being loud lets you avoid the hard questions.

Who am I really? What do I actually believe? What am I willing to stand on even when no one is clapping?

Noise keeps you busy. Clarity forces you to be honest.

And honesty is uncomfortable.

Clarity means choosing what you will focus on, what you will ignore, and what you will no longer pretend matters.

That’s why most people never get there. It costs too much.

Protecting Your Ears (And Your Peace)

I can’t watch Cam Newton or Stephen A. Smith anymore.

Not because they don’t know their stuff. They do. They’ve built careers. They’ve got platforms that many people view.

But I turn them off the second I see them on screen.

Because they yell. Constantly. And after a while, it doesn’t matter what they’re saying. The volume drowns out the message.

I’m protecting my ears, sure. But more than that, I’m protecting my peace.

They’ve moved into irrelevant territory for me. Loud takes. Unnecessary opinions. Reactions designed to get clips, not clarity.

And here’s the thing: I respect the hustle. I respect the grind. But I don’t have time for noise that doesn’t serve me.

Have I been tempted to fall into that same trap with my own content? To be louder because I thought that’s what would get attention?

Not online. Not yet.

I take time. I think about what I have to say. The content I’ve been putting out doesn’t require me to yell.

But if the social injustice keeps happening the way it’s been happening? Then yeah. Yelling might be what I do. But that’s an article for a different day.

For now, though, my writing and the person reading it are as loud as I need to be.

The Clarity Cost

Clarity doesn’t come free.

It cost me a story.

A while back, I had an idea for a psychological thriller.

Then I watched His & Hers on Netflix.

Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it.

The twist was intriguing. The person who committed the crimes pretended to be mentally unstable. They did it for their child’s benefit. The whole thing was layered. Dark. Had teeth.

And there it was. My twist. My idea. Someone else’s execution.

It stung.

Not because I can’t still write it. I probably will. But it feels different now. Like I missed my window.

What kept me from executing? Distraction.

I didn’t give that project enough time. I let other things take priority. I let noise creep in.

So if you’re sitting on something right now, here’s what I’d tell you: stop waiting. Stop letting distractions win. Stop believing you have more time than you do.

You don’t need permission. You don’t need perfect conditions. You need clarity on what matters and the guts to execute before someone else does.

The Yellers at the Firehouse

We’ve got a name for certain officers on the job.

Yellers.

They think volume equals authority. If they’re loud enough, the crew will move faster. Listen harder. Respect them more.

But that’s not how it works.

Yellers don’t get the most from their crew. They get compliance, maybe. But not trust. Not buy-in.

And when it comes to radio communications, yelling makes everything harder. The other side can’t hear you clearly. The message gets lost. And in a fire, lost messages can cost lives.

The best officers I’ve worked with have command over their voices and their emotions.

They don’t need to yell to be heard. They’re clear. They’re calm. They give direction without drama.

That clarity on calls goes a long way.

It saves time. It builds trust. It keeps people safe.

The same principle applies off the job. You don’t need to yell to lead. You need to be clear about what you want and confident enough to say it without raising your voice.

What I Say No To Now

I don’t get a lot of opportunities I have to turn down yet. But I’ve gotten better at saying no to the noise that doesn’t serve me.

The biggest thing? Courses.

The ones that promise the world. That claim they’ll 10x your business, unlock your potential, or teach you the secret nobody else knows.

And when you dig into them, there’s little to no proof they can deliver anything.

I used to think I needed to buy every course, read every book, learn every system.

Now I know better.

If it’s not clear. If it’s not proven. If it’s not aligned with what I’m building, I walk away.

That’s clarity in action.

What I Want My Kids to Know

I’ve got two kids. Dylan, 13. Zoë, 9.

And they try to out-yell each other all the time.

I end up having to step in and tell them both to shut up.

Then I tell them the same thing I’d tell anyone: yelling doesn’t get you anywhere. All it does is shut the other party off. No one wants to hear anything after the yelling starts.

The loudest person in the room doesn’t mean they’re right. It just means they’re loud.

I want my kids to understand that before the world teaches them otherwise.

I want them to take time to clarify their intentions before they start yelling just to be heard.

There’s a time and place for everything. Being loud is for cheering on your favorite team. For speaking up against injustice. Not for trying to make a point that might be wrong.

Loud for loud’s sake is annoying.

Clear for clarity’s sake? That changes lives.

Reaction Is Not Direction

If everything gets a response, nothing gets a plan.

A loud life is reactive. A clear life is intentional.

When you are clear, you stop chasing every opportunity. You stop arguing every opinion. You stop trying to prove every point.

You start moving with purpose instead of pressure.

That’s when momentum shows up.

Clarity Is a Decision, Not a Discovery

People think clarity arrives one day like motivation.

It doesn’t.

You choose it.

You choose to define your values. Protect your time. Build what matters. Say no without guilt.

You don’t wait to feel clear. You act until clarity forms.

Why This Matters

Because the world will always try to pull you into noise.

Outrage. Comparison. Urgency. Distraction.

If you don’t decide who you are, the world will decide for you.

And it will keep you busy but never fulfilled.

Championized Truth

You don’t need to be louder. You need to be clearer.

Clear about who you are. Clear about what you’re building. Clear about why it matters.

Because clarity creates confidence. And confidence creates consistency.

And consistency is what changes everything.

Ready to Finish What You Started?

If you’re tired of starting projects and not finishing them, I can help.

I’m Sevy, and I coach writers and creatives who want to build sustainable creative practices without burning out. I’ve written over a dozen books. I’ve built a newsletter and a podcast. I’ve developed a system that works when motivation runs out.

Here’s how to work with me:

→ Book a free coaching call – Let’s figure out what’s blocking you and how to move forward.

→ Join The Weekly Challenge – One actionable challenge every week to help you finish what you start.

→ Join the Championized Collective – A community of creatives building, finishing, and supporting each other.

Want to read my work?

→ [Bleed: Shadows of Redemption] – An urban thriller about identity, loyalty, and what happens when who you think you’re supposed to be collides with who you actually are.

→ [Hey New Guy!] – A guide for firefighters and first responders navigating a long, strong, healthy career.

→ [Check out all my books on Amazon]

Everything starts at championized.com

Keep moving forward.

Sevy