During our fast-paced frenetic days we receive a lot of conscious and unconscious information via the media and our immediate surroundings.
These last few years, I have become very aware that information has a powerful impact in my life as it defines my vision of the world.
We are all subject to the media messages created by marketers to manipulate our impulses as consumers and we end up with useless stuff in our closets. I am not against marketing, on the contrary, it can be really powerful to touch people’s lives when we combine integrity, purpose, and authenticity. But I feel that it’s important as consumers to take a step back and reevaluate what we really need to better our lives. Personally, I realize that If I take the time to rise above my spending cravings, I am more inclined to invest my money in better whole foods, training, books, help, advice,leisure, save money for the future and also donate some of it to people who are inspiring me.
In order to rise above, I find that it is important that I choose wisely the information that I absorb on a daily basis. This apply to the marketing messages that I absorb but also to all the messages that are reaching my conscious and unconscious mind.
During my last visit in Paris as I was starting my day off to a meeting, I was handed a free News magazine at the metro entrance. I noticed most people around were also taking it and like me started reading it during the metro ride. It dawned on me that on the same day thousands and thousands of people were reading the same free magazine in the metro, truly AMAZING ! Except that what I read was dreadfully negative and depressing. After reading for about 20mn, I told myself I might as well skip my meeting and escape to the nearest movie theater as advertized in the magazine since our world leaders were making wrong decisions, we were stuck in a crisis and the future looked so bleaked and gloomy. I felt empty and powerless, and the idea that so many people today were fed the same information was quite depressing.
I know that what I read can either uplift and nourish me or rob my energy. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that it is important to keep up with world events and be aware of new laws, regulations and the political and economical situation of our planet, but does that mean that I want to absorb ALL information like a sponge? Do I really want to allow the media to spoon-feed me ( of even stuff me) their information or can I take the time and the decision to actually be a choice and choose the quality of what I want to absorb.
We are constantly making progress even though it will never be perfect. For example, when my daughter was 4 years old we made the decision to store the TV in the garage and it has remained there for the last 7 years! We watch movies with the family on a big screen at home (on the week-end only) and my husband and I choose interesting programs or TV shows we enjoy on line. We also enjoy the TED.com interviews and articles and we selected a particular magazine to keep up with current events. We have freed ourselves from the heavy load of commercial programming or the dramatized evening news which creates more drama in our already complicated lives.
I am constantly trying to improve and really choose my INPUT in my life. I know that by changing the quality of the information that enters my consciousness, I can be energized to contribute to my life instead of feeling consumed by it. I can go from complaining to celebrating.
Love and Respect,
Christine Lewicki
© 2011
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Christine Lewicki 