Not long ago there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot going on in our area that was newsworthy – in the sense of negative newsworthy. Oh no! What was the media to do?
Not to worry. They had it figured out. They hashed up a shooting from 30 years ago and put the story smack dab on the front page of the newspaper.
When I saw “Shooting at college football game,” my gut level reaction and thought was, “Oh no! Not again.” I thought it was a recent happening, but nope, it was from 30 years ago.
I was amazed at what had been placed on the front page. Obviously, I wasn’t’ the only one who thought this way.
I commented to someone else about how odd it was that a story from 30 years ago was the first thing the publisher obviously wanted us to see. Karen had the same thoughts about the media’s need to throw negative stuff in our face, even if they had to hash it up from the past.
Wow! If you ever wonder if the media is going to try to suck you into a negative mindset, never fear. They will hash up whatever is needed to get the masses to believe all is lost.
After all, stories like this sell newspapers.
The question that begs to be asked is, “Will you let others influence your thinking and experiences to keep you in a state of fear?”
Don’t do it!
Shift your focus in a way that serves you and everyone you come in contact with. Focus on what is good.
There’s enough proof that you do have more control and power than the media would lead you to believe. Thoughts DO become things… so pay attention to your thoughts and create a better hour, day and world.
According to Buddha – “All spirituality is designed to ease suffering.”
Whatever your spiritual practice, your thoughts are powerful tools of healing.
Notice what you focus on. Notice what you say. Notice what you do.
Is it designed to ease suffering? Is it designed to make the day better? Is it designed to heal?
You might wonder how this post has anything to do with business. Everything!
If thoughts become things, imagine how much your thoughts create the state of your business, good or bad.
Keep your focus on how you can serve your market and clients rather than on how tough business is.
The more you focus on how your business is a vehicle to make the world a better place the more your business will be a vehicle for healing.
Comments welcomed and encouraged. You are also invited to share this post by clicking any one of the social media buttons below.
As a journalist for about 30 years, I have to agree. I managed to write more marketing-oriented pieces during my career than news-worthy pieces. I think I was more suited to these stories. I used to never start my day without reading the newspaper. For about the last ten years, I rarely look at a newspaper. I resist listening the news, as well. It does produce a bit of a problem in that I have no clue what is going on.
I was a technology writer, which meant that I had to stay up with technology, which is a hard thing to do in today’s fast-paced world. If you snooze, you may discover that the technology of yesterday is ancient and leaves you totally like a fish out of water.
You know, Kathleen, the news really upsets me these days. The outcome of elections are no longer based solely on the number of votes, because news stations call races before all the votes are even counted. Bad news definitely gets sensationalized in way too many cases. People are tried in the news, as well as in the courts. Even if the person is found innocent, damage to their reputation has already been done.
I live in the Boston area, where the Boston Marathon was bombed. The suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, will be tried in Boston, although the entire incident was televised, discussed, and tried by newscasters and the people they have interviewed. While the courts have refused a new venue, I’m sure the entire trial will end up being covered by the news stations ad nauseam.
Patriot’s Football Player, Aaron Hernandez, is another sensationalized story. While I have my opinion of whether he is guilty or not, it is all based on the newscasters’ representation of the events. Is this fact? It’s too hard to know.
On the other hand, how many people would purchase a newspaper that only published “good” news? I think few people would support such a publication. And I also think that journalists would have a hard time picking the “good” news from the “bad” in some cases, especially controversial and politically charged stories.
I totally agree with you Kathleen. In fact this is why I stopped reading or listening to the news—to control the intake. I only wanted to hear and read uplifting things. Mindset is so important, especially if you run a business, because it influences every decision and action. We know that thoughts are things and what you put your attention on grows. So that’s why as you say, a spiritual practice of any kind is helpful to guard and protect those thoughts. I once heard someone ask an “enlightened” woman how one gets to enlightenment, and the answer was, “It’s just a shift of attention.” Once we understand how our thoughts affect us, we can control our attention and in the process, control our destiny. Thanks for reminding us!
Thanks for your insights Jeannette. I appreciate your thoughts.