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Boundaries around your inputs need to be in place. Specifically, the things that you put in your body, the things that you watch, things that you listen to, the things that you read, the commentary and conversations you have, the people you hang out with. All of these things are inputs, and over time, they will shape you. They will shape your opinions, they will shape your mood, your feelings, your hopes, your aspirations.
One of the things that I've done in recent years is stopped watching the National Nightly News. This is not a slant against any of those broadcasters or any of the networks. I don't care if you are Camp CNN or Camp Fox News or Camp MSNBC. That's up to you. But for me, I don't watch them and there's a reason why. Because all of them, unfortunately, feel that they're going to generate the most revenue by putting a negative slant on what's going on in the world. It doesn't matter what political spectrum or "side of the political fence" you're faced with or that you choose to be on. That's your choice. Everyone has a right to their beliefs and their opinions and I'm not about to try to sway you one way or the other because there's valid conversations on all sides of the fence.
Not watching the news was probably one of the best things that I've ever done because the constant negativity weighs on you. This could be negative conversations at work, this could be negative conversations at home, this could be negative conversations at your favorite dining establishment, you name it. It seems to be a common conversation, next to the weather. But at the end of the day, it's important for me to control my input, so I don't watch the nightly news.
Does that mean I'm living in a cave and I don't know what's going on in the world? Absolutely not. There's plenty of mechanisms out there that can feed you information. Social media, again, is very similar to the nightly news. You have to control your inputs. You can get lost in the abyss of Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Pinterest, or five of you on MySpace. Any of those things, you can use them as a tool, and I do. I use most of those platforms, and I use them to talk about what I find is important, what I feel is going to help the most people. Because that's why I do what I do. I want to help as many people as I possibly can get the life that they want.
You can get what you want in life by, first and foremost, making sure you have strong boundaries in life. If you have that, you have control of what happens to you and more importantly what happens within you. Your life is going to be a lot better. If you are living a happy life, and you're doing the things that you want to do, where you want to do them, when you want to do them, that's called freedom, my friends. That's what I want for everyone. I want everyone to feel freedom.
Life's too short. You can blink and you can be gone. I have two colleagues that have lost loved ones in the last month. My father had a heart attack. Thankfully, he's still here, but there was an opportunity or chance that he wouldn't be. Life's too short. So focus on the things that are good.
Now, how do I get my inputs? How do I get my information about what's going on in the world? I use Twitter. I kind of glance at what's trending, so you can see what's going on. There's news feeds, so if there's particular topics of interest, sports, politics, you name it, there are many feeds out there that are more positive in nature. Those are the things that I focus on. Because I share a lot of that information with people, because I feel it will help them. I don't share things just to share. I share things that I find helpful. They help me and I know that they will help you.
So it's important, again, to control your inputs. You should know what's going on in your world. You should know what's going on in your local community. There's way to get that information. There's way to get alerts, so if something significant is happening, realistic or not, then you can be aware of it. But again, don't get bogged down in the minutia of the nightly news, because it's not serving you. It's not going to help you stay happy. It's going to bring you down, because the way that they present the news tends to be very negative, and very confrontational.
You can test this theory. Watch a story on whatever news network you're on. You know it's going to be controversial or combative against one political party or another. If they're arguing against the political party that you support, you're going to feel angst, you're going to feel anger that you're being attacked. If it's the flip side and it's the network that is pro-whatever side you are on and they're attacking the other party, you're going to be, "Yeah! Let's do that! Yeah! That makes sense!" But guess what? Feel your energy level. Where are you? You're aroused, you're angered, you're like, "Yeah, we're gonna ..." And what's that doing to you?
It's just taking a toll on your heart and your soul and your being. Is it making you grow? Is a government shutdown for a couple days impacting your ability to meet your dreams and goals? No. It's just a waste of news space and a bunch of highly paid idiots on both sides of the fence that can't get their act together. That's the only political statement I'm going to make.
Long story short, control your inputs. Figure out what is the best way for you to keep in tune with what's going on in the world, without it taking a toll on your health and your life.
See you tomorrow! Be well!