Avoiding the Media - The easiest way to see the silver lining

My girlfriend said yesterday, listening to the news make her feel uneasy because it feels like there is an increase in crime and murders and violence in our city. Unfortunately, that is the exact opposite of things statistically. The probability and likelihood of being in a violent crime in my city has dropped.

So how much media do you need to take in before you start to recognize you feel bad about the state of the world, the state of your city, your health, your car, your community, etc?

There is a great movie line describing the media that says, if it bleeds, it leads. Unfortunately that has never been more accurate. The focus of the media on crime , dispair, accidents and travesty is incredibly manipulative. In a city of 1,042,000 people someone dies from a car accident and we have to talk about it for days. (I am not being cold here, I get that someone died but post-accident I can't affect the outcome or turn back the clock). Your chances of having an accident hasn’t increased. In fact, with the increase in population in the city each year, your odds of being in that accident decrease. Crime is down but yet the media suggest it is up.

I have said be careful of your inputs before. Be careful what you listen to, what you read and what you absorb. The media is often the absolute worst source of information. The news is now made up of opinion as much as it is fact today. So why do these opinions matter so much to me? They don’t.

Another natural disaster half a world away is a tragedy but I don’t need to focus on it for days or weeks on end. It usually has no direct impact on me and there is little I can do (beyond sending money or going over there to help directly). So why would I allow the media to bombard me with images, words and sound bytes that do nothing to improve my life or lift my spirit.

People argue with me saying I will miss something if I don't follow the newspapers or the news on TV. I have found it to be quite the opposite. When something really important or impacting happens, I hear about it from people all over - in meetings, online, on calls. People talking is the way I hear about anything important. So I don't get the negative bombardment each day but I still get the news that might impact my life.

You want to get more out of your life in terms of energy, enthusiasm and joy ... avoid the news for a few weeks and watch your outlook on life bloom!