Comments on: The News Will Destroy Your Confidence

By: How to Mindfully Use Internet to Improve Your Emotional Well-Being

How to Mindfully Use Internet to Improve Your Emotional Well-Being — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:53:35 +0000

[...] Mainstream media dictates what’s “important” for you to know. But only a handful of corporations decide on what information gets out, and how it’s reported. Much of that brings down your emotional well-being, and hurts your confidence. [...]

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:23:05 +0000

@Roseanna: You’re so right – reading your comment really brought home how focused the media are on reporting what’s wrong. It’s tragic – let’s start the backlash right here!

By: Roseanna Leaton

Roseanna Leaton — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:52:51 +0000

I must admit I try to avoid news on TV and newspapers; I’d don’t want to hear all of those negatives. But for whatever reason “pain sells” better than pleasure.

IN the UK papers yesterday there was just the footbal misery, misery, misery. Hardly anything about the English cricket team who have just won three test matches in a row making them the series victors even if they don’t win another game. Although our drivers didn’t win the GrandPrix at the weekend the car that did win was an all British car. There was a serious 170mph smash up during the race. The British designed car was so well designed that when it finally stopped flying through the air and rolling over the driver just got out and walked away. Three absolutely cracking successes. So what did the papers write about to make sure they sold. Football! Hardly a mention of success in other sports. Just the plain misery of Englands defeat and what problems the manager is facing.

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:25:57 +0000

It’s probably true that at one time it was worthwhile to watch the news so you knew what was happening, but at this point it takes the average person less than a minute to get in touch with someone who’s connected to the firehose 24/7. It’s really a noble sacrifice of them to take all that so you don’t have to

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:24:50 +0000

@Michael: A great example of how much more nimble you can be without the weight of the world on your shoulders. I don’t think it’s a question of “ignorance” at all, it’s just a choice about where to put your focus and where you get your information from. Thanks Michael.

@Angie: Funny how you can still keep in touch with what’s important out there without needing to watch or read the news media all the time, and I agree that if there’s something that you want to know about in more detail then you can do so without having the wrong kind of information pushed on you. And thanks for the “listen to Uncle Steve” – made me chuckle.

By: Angie Griffin

Angie Griffin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:08:24 +0000

So true, so horribly true! Years ago as a mock-militant Greenpeace loving twenty something I refused to support the press over some scathing remark or other they made about green politics being a joke. I swore I’d never buy a newspaper again. And I never have (30 years and counting). I switch off the news on the TV and radio because, as you so rightly said it makes us more depressed about just about everything. People always say to me ‘but how do you know what’s going on in the world?’. One, do I need to know about all the stuff that’s going on in the world? Two, it seems to filter through anyway and I have a vague grasp of the world situation which is enough for me. If I need to know more about someone or something I go to the source or as close as their website will get me. I refuse to join in with the misery-fest that is ‘the media’ and live very happily without it. I urge you all to listen to Uncle Steve and try it for a month!

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:10:55 +0000

Wow this SO resonates with me, as I am trying so hard to get my business off the ground. Not a day goes by without me telling someone how I stopped watching the news some six months ago. It really has changed me for the better, because like it or not, I am one of those people who get affected by things going on in the world. Since I stopped this harmful habit, I am more positive and more productive.

I read the advice to stop watching the news ages ago, and the person giving the advice said something like, “Most of this stuff, you don’t need to know. If there’s something important enough for you to know, someone will tell you about it!”

So now, I’ve stopped worrying about the economy and so on, and ignorance really is bliss. I leave it to those who get paid a lot more than I do to sort those things out.

Thanks for a great blog!

Michael

By: Brian | i-Blogger

Brian | i-Blogger — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:45:18 +0000

The news is like a depressing horror movie that never ends. .-= Check out Brian | i-Blogger´s last blog...The ABC's Of Blogging =-.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:38:16 +0000

@Donna: “Watching the worst” – I like that. Nothing wrong with catching up on the news to see what’s happening out there, but you gotta interpret it in your own way to not become spoon fed by the monster…

@Richard: I like your thinking, and agree that when you decide to operate alongside the fear that you reach a place where you’re able to do what you do naturally and best. I’m thrilled to have you here Richard, let me know if there’s anything I can help out with.

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:55:36 +0000

Last week I read an interesting post on another blog that talked about a camping experience and how life is a lot simpler when you have to do things yourself; no one worries about their higher purpose when they have to chop wood to survive. On the other hand when someone doesn’t have to put in much effort to survive and they don’t have a similarly engaging challenge to replace that, they become aimless. Two ways out are to create new survival fears (even that is convenient and easy these days!) or to drop the fear and give your best gifts to the world, knowing that it’s simply what you do and the results don’t matter because you’ll still survive. It’s fear or confidence – black or white.

I have a lot more work to reach a place of confidence but I recently realized that reading a small positive thought each day is a great push – I now make myself read Seth Godin’s blog daily because it’s inspiring. To that end I just subscribed to your blog as well I would rather hear timeless wisdom than what happened two hours ago.