Are you the kind of person who loves to be in the know about world events? Politics? Issues? Or, do you steer away from the news?
I used to be a news junkie, though never thought of myself as such.
Keeping up with the news made me feel more intelligent because it was easier to uphold my end of a current event conversation. Then there was the camaraderie thing. That’s where two or more people discuss the news, often condemn and talk smack about anyone thought responsible for any particular newsworthy issue. This is usually accompanied by feeling that we ourselves are on moral high ground.
Here’s how my news consumption looked.
My alarm woke me up to my local NPR station. I’d listen for a couple of hours, from the bathroom to dressing to breakfast to commuting to the office. I checked the news on my computer during lunch, listened to NPR on my way to the gym, and on my way home from the gym. Then I watched the news on my TV while I ate dinner. Sound like fun? And afterward, I watched other TV shows that were also way down on the bummer scale. It’s surprising I still had any sense of humor.
It was never my intention to kill my inspiration, optimism, and lightheartedness, numerous ways, every day.
I hadn’t noticed this habit had grown to something that was not in my best interest. My heavy consumption of the news contributed to my feeling more and more down about everything. It was my intuitive guidance that suggested I trying going without the news. At first, I went without it for a couple of weeks, then for longer times. Even today, the longer I go without it, the better I feel.
There are some that feel it’s our civic duty to be informed on all things that are not going well. They believe that consuming news is doing something positive about it.
Information is power. But if the information is fostering our lowest feelings that power is not being used beneficially.
We need to watch how we’re inspiring each other. Forwarding propaganda via Facebook posts and news stories illustrating horrors hurts not helps. People that take this action believe they’re helping. Except it so doesn’t work that way. Instead, they’re contributing to discouragement, hopeless, fear, and disillusionment. That translates to inaction. People rarely feel inspired to work to make things better when they’re feeling hopeless. Here’s the Oxford Dictionary definition of inspiration. People are not motivated when the issue seems insurmountable.
The best way to make a positive difference is to be that which we wish to experience.
It takes way more effort than turning on the TV and catching up on what the talking heads are saying. As unpleasant we may feel, it’s easy to watch the news, be outraged, and squawk about it. However, all we accomplish is lower our vibration, sit in disillusionment and kill our empowerment for true change.
True change requires us to be that change. You’ve heard the expression be the change? That’s what I’m talking about it. A simple concept that takes work. Instead of bitching about things we can act on our beneficial impulses. Practice more kindness. Let our petty concerns go. Rise above any limiting past experiences and limiting self-beliefs. It may take the form of speaking up and being seen.
I promise you that in feeling lighter and more confident we tap into our personal power. We begin working towards partnership. Mutual understanding grows through negotiation, collaboration, compromise, cooperation.
Looking to ourselves for true beneficial change is not about aiming for perfection. Awareness, self-empowerment, kindness, positive action, compassion, are just a few ways to begin practicing. Expect a lot of faceplants while you’re removing disillusionment, fear, anger, distrust, discouragement, and hopelessness. But the practice becomes easier.
Feeling more centered, joyful, and hopeful allows for more inspiration, for ideas to bubble up, as well as the desire to bring those beneficial ideas into reality.
No longer allowing oodles of negativity into the day is a plan worth acting on.