I don’t know about you but I used to be an avid reader of newspapers. I followed politics, events and opinions and thought that digesting life through the ‘small print’ was something to aspire to. I even believed it served me purposefully – it was what grown ups did. It kept me informed and prepared for business and life….or so I thought.
While driving my tractor I even used to while away the hours driving up and down the tramlines listening to phone in programmes on the radio about everyone else’s opinions on current affairs. This was life – this was real and was keeping abreast of life and events in my country. This would help me make informed business decisions, understanding the public mood, or so I thought.
The first signs I remember experiencing were that my moods began to feel more and more despondent. This was particularly listening to the phone in programmes on the radio. Quite suddenly, instead of feeling informed, I began to feel weighed down by other people’s perceptions of life. What’s more I began to realise I, like others were drawn to this type of entertainment. Why, I would ask, this is all a bit sad; in more ways than one. Then I began to feel a bit stupid when I realised I was quite happy with my own life until I started listening to other peoples perceptions and realising it was getting me down.
Please go back and re-read this paragraph again as I believe this goes to the very heart of this blog.
Now to many of you readers, (up to 860 of you), you may well be thinking that this is stating the obvious and fool you Billy for being taken in so easily! But I ask you to think again here.
Let’s take the newspapers for instance. Everyone knows that the writers sensationalise the headlines to sell the newspapers. We also know that we can’t believe everything we read in the newspapers. But does this stop us from buying them? Reading them? What is it about human nature that we like to read first then decide if we believe, later? How much negativity do we read before deciding if we believe it or not? How much do we need to read before we realise we are constantly reading, viewing and listening to other people’s perception of life, only to decide whether we believe it or not?
Taken to the extreme – isn’t there a danger we are constantly looking to other people’s ‘take on life’ only to decide whether or not we agree with it or not?
A few months ago the British media were full of analysis about Britain’s budget deficit and which political party were most likely to have the courage to tackle it. Now, several months after the election, all we hear about is the devastating affects the cuts might have on our daily lives, jobs and standard of living. Taken in each context their play is to look for problems, dig them up and dish the dirt. All fantastically healthy for us to read! But wait, isn’t it us who want to read it regardless?
So what is it about ourselves that we seek to read and digest all this OTT negativity?
People who succeed in life all share several things in common;
- They don’t spend much time reading other people’s negative take on life events
- They don’t spend much time listening to other people’s negative take on life events.
- They don’t spend much time hanging around other people who have a negative take on life events.
- They protect, maintain and nurture their own natural positive approach to life.
- They limit how much time they devote to the media – in some cases, very little!
- They are conscious that we all create our own reality in life.
So am I suggesting we all ignore newspapers, the TV, news and current affairs on the radio? Not if you want to read about which celebrity is bonking who and in some cases, how much they allegedly pay for it!
But here is my thought share for the day. If we create our own reality by our thoughts, actions and deeds, isn’t it time to put boundaries on how much we read and listen to other people’s thoughts, actions and deeds about so-called events in life?
Or even scarier, what if the writers and producers don’t even believe what they write and report themselves – it’s just that they are clever enough to know what you and I are likely to respond to and make money from us into the bargain.
Now, I don’t know about you but realising that would make me feel even more gullible and stupid. Not only are they trying to colour my opinion but they don’t necessarily believe it themselves!
Creating our own reality is a good reason for deciding what we would like our reality to be, before making ourselves too available to others and digesting what they would like us to think. So, if hanging around positivity, kindness, truth and well meaning thoughts from one individual to another is what will make us happy in life, we need to make sure that this is the likely outcome we create for ourselves.
Another good tip to making life easy! It worked for me, I trust it will work for you too.
Have a good week.
Billy
