Why I Don’t Listen To The News
I don’t listen to the news on the radio or on TV. Not because I don’t want to know what’s going on, but because what radio and TV broadcasters think is “newsworthy” defies all logic.
This morning, I was running late for an appointment, so I flipped on the car radio to get a traffic report. Mind you, I have the radio tuned to a news station, not one of those completely worthless “morning zoo” programs that seem to think Paris Hilton’s latest escapade must be reported in excruciating detail.
Here’s what I heard on this well respected morning news program…
“NBA player declares himself homophobic! Stay tuned for more on this breaking story after the traffic report with the traffic guy.”
That’s news? Give me a break!
By and large, the news as it is reported these days is either incredibly negative or incredibly inane. In the quest for higher ratings, reporters seem to be trying to deliver outrage and titillation much more than actual news. If you expose yourself to this kind of negativity everyday, it has a tendency to seep into your bones, into the core of your being, affecting your own outlook and attitudes.
So, several months ago, I put a stop to it, at least in my own little world. I listen to no radio. I watch no TV. Instead, I spend time with my kids, I spend time with my wife, and I listen to an hour or two of recorded material every day, usually something motivational or marketing related (right now it’s the audio book version of “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson).
And you know what I found? My outlook on life improved. I feel better physically. I have more energy. I’m finding it easier to get more accomplished in less time. I haven’t changed anything else. I’m not exercising more or eating any better (although my wife tells me I’ll be doing both real soon…we’ll see). I simply stopped surrounding myself with negativity and started surrounding myself with positive influences.
You are what you program yourself to be. I’ve been a computer programmer most of my adult life and the parallels between how computers work and how the human brain works have always fascinated me. You can have the best, fastest, most technically advanced computer in the world with the most reliable operating system and application software ever developed. But if you feed that system junk data, all you’ll get back from it is junk answers (GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out).
The same is true of your mind. You can have the sharpest mind on the planet. But if the information you put into it is full of gossip, innuendo, hatred, pornography, zealotry, outrage and horror, can you ever hope to get anything positive back out?
Make a habit of feeding your mind only positive influences, fact, inspiration and motivation, and see how long it takes for you to notice the difference in your life.
- Daniel Joseph Moran
