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Turn Off The News If You Want To
Succeed By James Martell I guess I finally had enough. While keeping a curious eye on the American election of Barack Obama, due to its historical nature, I got into the unfortunate habit of watching CNN.
So I stopped watching. No wonder people are feeling so bad. Their minds are being bombarded with totally fictitious "negatives". Now some may disagree. "Aren't we in a recession", they might say. Isn't the economy bad? Aren't banks going out of business? Can't you see the value of stocks diminishing? Didn't the Dow close at the lowest it's been since 1997? Aren't people losing their jobs? Isn't the American recession affecting global economies? Aren't people losing their homes in record numbers? Want more?
One of my early business mentors, Art Williams, founder of A.L. Williams, used to tell us NOT to watch the news because he said it was filling us with self doubt. He went on to say if there was something of earth shattering importance we would be told about it by someone we know. Now, like I said, some would disagree with shutting off "the news". They'd argue that we need to stay "informed". And I'd say, great. I have no problem with staying informed. But I also know that repeated input of a negative nature can have disastrous results because of what many have told us about how the "mind" works. Basic to most credible sports, business or life enhancement strategies is that we are what we think...that the difference between winning and losing is "mental"...that we must "visualize" success in order to attain it. No matter how tough things may seem it makes no sense to dwell on the negatives. One of my early influences in this "mind over matter" theory was the perennial best seller Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, which was written based on 20 years of interviews with America's most successful turn of the century (last century, that is) business people. They all concurred that success is an "internal" process. That we must first "think" about success before achieving it. Another classic is The Power Of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. A Google search of both books will turn up many options if you're interested in the wisdom of these authors. But, regardless of how you approach the subject of success in any endeavor you must know that your "attitude" can make or break you. It's a truism that even a school kid knows, yet we adults often forget that. But where do our attitudes come from? Think about that for a second. Where did that "worry" about the economy come from? To CNN's credit they did, in fact, do a piece on Fargo North Dakota that revealed they have a booming economy. They interviewed workers who said they could quit their job and find another within minutes. The head of a local bank said they have a negligible foreclosure rate. So what up with that? Those North Dakotan's should "get with the program" and "learn" about how hard it is in this troubled economy. They should quit being so darn positive. They're bringing me down, er I mean UP with all that good economic news!! Now, it's true, in many sectors things are bad. And I'm not trying to diminish anyone's personal difficulty. But my point is that we, as individuals, are under no obligation to take on the burdens of others, or dwell on our own difficulties. In fact, I believe we have an obligation to preserve our innate optimism. We need to shelter ourselves from what Zig Ziglar calls "stinkin' thinkin". Another truism I've picked up along the road of life is this. If life hands you a lemon make lemonade with it...end of story.
Another homily states you can either see the glass half empty or half full. So why make it harder on yourself by staring intently at the daily onslaught of negative news. Why let news networks or nightly news or daily newspapers ruin your attitude? Why take it in when many great self-help authors have repeatedly warned us of engaging in "stinkin' thinking". I say, let's be honest. What we are really seeing is a world in transition. Things are changing, that's all. Now to some it seems that things are falling apart. But maybe it's for the better, right? How are we going to get the new stuff without letting go of the old stuff. And who cares what the markets are telling us. I'll level with you about the economy. Don't worry about it. Now if I was in the oil business I'd worry. But for me personally, I don't worry because I make my living on the Internet. And the Internet is the future. In fact, one positive thing I did learn from CNN was that the Internet elected America's first African American president. Someone who was a virtual unknown two years before being elected. But someone who wisely surrounded himself with people who understood the "connective" power of the Internet and it's ability to inform and sell. In future editions of The Martell Newsletter I'll have more to say on the topic of staying positive and how the Internet can turn your life around. But in the meantime let me close by quoting another saying by Zig Ziglar, a marvelous self made man. Zig said, FEAR is just False Evidence Appearing Real. It's how you feed your mind, my friend. So feed it wisely. All the best,
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Then one day it hit me that
woven throughout the
reporting of "news" was the
constant "selling" of how
"bad" things are.
