And Now, The Bad News?
Hurricane Dolly, cell phone cancer, housing sales fall to 10-year lows, recession, illegal immigration, stock market tumbles. These are just some of the headlines the news media choose to focus on today, and to repeat, over and over again throughout the day. It can really get you down. That soundtrack you hear as you turn on CNN, or listen to your local news station, can really do a number on your psyche. And it adds up. But here’s the real bad news: the impact of these stories is cumulative, and by the end of the day, the “news” has done a number on you.
It’s important to remember that these “stories” are just small slices of life. They’re not your entire world. MSNBC doesn’t report on the phone call you got from an old friend. Brian Williams doesn’t mention you met a new neighbor, or got a pat on the back from a co-worker. NPR doesn’t broadcast that smile that you gave to a stranger made his day, and he, in turn, made someone else’s, thanks to you. These are the real stories of your life. They affect you just as much as the price of oil, and maybe more than a hurricane in a different part of the country. And they’re good news. Your good news.
It’s important to be a source of inspiration for yourself and for others. And so, here’s what you can do today to make things a little better:
• Just for today, don’t think about the price of gas. Or the stock market. Unless you’re the head of the New York Stock Exchange (and even then, no,) you have no ability to effect these issues. Use your thoughts wisely.
• As you catch yourself focusing in on those issues you can’t control, pick one thing, perhaps one person, in your life, that gives you joy. Substitute a thought about that person or thing, for a thought about the stock market, the price of gas, or the weather.
• And lastly, make a commitment to yourself that you will find a way to make that one thing that gives you joy, better.
Maybe that one thing is a neighbor who always says hello. How well do you know them? Do you even know their name? Do you use their name, or just mumble “hello” in the hallway, and then feel guilty. Go ahead, put yourself out there. Say hello to them, by name. It will feel good. And that feeling will last a lot longer than thinking about how much it’s going to cost to fill up your tank.
We live in a big world. But we also have the ability to control and improve the world we live in. And it all starts by making a choice.