Below is an excerpt from the book Downsize Sooner than Later – 18 Rules for Retirement Success available on Amazon.com.
In our earlier discussion about the glove compartment, we noticed that even though we begin with limited space, without deliberate attention, it easily becomes a catch-all for unwanted and non-essential items. Like the way we allow things to accumulate in a glove compartment, it is worth considering what we allow to accumulate in our minds.
With the mind, rather than facing limitations on space, we face limits of time and energy.
What we allow into our minds creates a compound effect.
Will the input we allow into our minds move us in the direction of the things we want, or will it take us somewhere else? Will the input we feed into our minds be empowering or draining? Will it lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose or a greater sense of frustration and anxiety?
I felt this rule was important to include because I have noticed how common it is for some seniors to allocate significant time daily to watching TV, and listening to, reading about, and ingesting local, national, and political news. Some leave this kind of programming running in the background all day like a form of white noise. Others spend time visiting news websites online or reading (…and forwarding) emails filled with manipulative, negative, and alarmist doom and gloom.
What do you imagine the accumulated impact of negative input has on quality of life over time?
- Will feeding our minds such information lead to greater happiness?
- Will it help improve our relationships with friends or family?
- Will it increase our general wisdom or outlook on life?
- Will it expand appreciation and meaning in our lives?
- Will it improve our capacity to live more fully or become stronger?
The choice of whether to spend our remaining – and undetermined number of – days consuming a diet of mentally negative, counterproductive, anxiety-provoking, and sensational “junk” is up to each individual. An alternative course is to be deliberate and constructive about what we allow into our minds daily.
Jim Rohn once remarked about a seminar he regularly conducted on success habits. At the seminar, he would challenge participants to, “…find out what poor people read, and don’t read it.” This is sage advice.
Garbage in and garbage out.
Sadly, much of the media today is intentionally designed to overhype the worst of the worst stories and leverage the highest possible shock value. Such “clickbait” is aimed at getting attention and drawing viewers at any cost. It should come as no surprise that some media is specifically designed for the purpose of leveraging the fears and anxieties of seniors.
I say, “Turn it off!”
When John and I worked in politics, one of our goals was to inform as many people as we could about how ordinary citizens – regardless of party affiliation – could help improve the health of our political system through engagement in local party committees. However, we discovered that no matter how rationally or persuasively we made our case, there were some people who simply didn’t want a solution.
Why? Because they’d rather sit and complain. For such individuals, awfulizing and complaining became a reward in and of itself. John used to call these individuals “chronic bitchers!”
My advice here is: don’t fall into that trap. Don’t let that become you!
What if you turned off the negative input and oriented what you allow into your mind more deliberately and purposefully?
As I write this, I get up at 5 a.m. each weekday. I go downstairs, make a cup of coffee, and let out the dogs. I find my phone and select an educational podcast or audiobook to listen to. I press play and it runs from home to the gym and back. I also let it play while I start making breakfast for my wife and myself. Once she shows up, though, I turn it off and focus on her.
Instead of waking up to gloom-and-doom, manipulative, garbage-centered media, I average an hour to an hour and a half of constructive input every day. In a year, this is over 350 hours of productive and educational input.
A typical college class meets three hours a week for three months. In equivalent terms, the audio I listen to is like taking ten college courses a year.
Yet this costs me almost nothing and has an amazing impact on my life. Compare that to spending the same time listening to the news or muckraking political commentary. Most people have no idea the opportunities they miss by not more constructively using such time.
Jim Rohn tells another story in which he asks a man, “What did your television cost?” The person answers by stating the purchase price, “$400.” To this, Jim replies, “That’s not true! I think it’s costing you about $40,000 a year. Not to own it, but to watch it.”
Is junk TV programming and sensational online news really the best we can do with the precious time we have left? Is this responsible stewardship? Does this honor those we love who are now gone or those who sacrificed so much for us to be here? Would they be proud of us for allocating time in such a manner? Would they say the time that we have – that they no longer have – is being well spent? Tough questions, but they are worth asking.
Here are some alternatives to consider versus habitual daily ingestion of negative and mentally destructive media:
- Learn or do something new each day – math problems, learn a foreign language, facts of history.
- Meditate. Try a guided meditation app like Headspace.
- Use mornings to get to the gym.
- Give yoga a try. There are countless routines available for beginners to advanced practitioners on YouTube. Or sign up for a local yoga class.
- Do you follow a spiritual or religious practice? Allocate time daily to studying, learning, praying, and practicing it.
- Do something difficult each day like learning to play an instrument, engaging in challenging artwork (e.g. compose music, draw, paint, write, craft, sewing, needlepoint, knit, etc.).
- Habitually spend time in nature. Take pictures of the best moments and keep a daily journal online or offline.
- Get more wisdom. Read about aging well, better health, better exercise, better diet and nutrition, how to improve your relationships, deal with loss, philosophy, history, etc.
- Read (or listen to) classics, poetry, or quality fiction to help maintain your imagination.
- Write that book you have always wanted to write, keep a personal diary or journal.
- Assemble and organize your photographs, home movies, and stories, so they can be handed down to the next generation.
Without deliberate intention and direction, it is easy to let autopilot take you to places that are both unproductive and in the opposite direction of your hopes and dreams.
In ten years, who would you rather be?
- A person who has ingested 10,000 hours (20 hours a week) of manipulative, negative, and shocking media – bummed out, cynical, anxious, and pessimistic.
- A person who has spent 10,000 hours acquiring new knowledge, wisdom and skills to put to work – wiser, stronger, better, more capable, and more fulfilled.
The choice is yours.
Become conscious of the inputs you are allowing into your mind. Make deliberate choices about what you will or won’t allow in. From there, build a daily routine to keep yourself on track.
Questions or comments?
I can be reached at this link – contact Ted Stevenot.