All of us are bombarded by inputs from the moment we wake up each morning...to the time we finally fall asleep at night. There are statistics out there which indicate how many advertisements we are unwittingly exposed to day in and day out; the figure ranged between 3-5,000 as of this year. That's up to 5,000 "inputs" we didn't ask for, don't necessarily need or want, but are just "there" for our eyeballs and ears to be assaulted by each and every day. Today's blog post isn't about the inputs we don't want to allow into our lives every single day....but those we do.
For example, what sounds, sights, or tastes do you allow yourself to wake up to each morning? I have known and heard of people waking up to Christian music playing on their radio....a siren-like alarm they can't stand....the smell of the smoke from their day's first marijuana cigarette....the taste from a shot of their favorite liqueor at bedside...or whatever happens to be on the t.v. that they forgot to turn off last night. These are all inputs, in case you are forgetting the point of this post right now.
Imagine now getting out of bed, going to the kitchen, and preparing to start your day. What do you turn on the television set---and why? What do you swallow---and why? Newsflash: Not everyone has orange juice, some protein, and a carbohydrate to start their day! I'm asking because what you ingest and what you watch by choice regularly is a lot like what you buy over and over again at the store. There is a saying if you want to know a man's heart, go through his checkbook entries. If you are motivated, energized, and/or stimulated by things that have a net effect of "not good" on your mind, heart, and life.....why would you (or anyone else?) continue to pursue them? Probably the saddest example I can give of this is the young man who got up each day, popped a few adderall with a swig of water, watched some porn, got dressed, and dashed out the door to work (only to make sure to hit up a Starbucks en route as well!).
As a music lover, I have always been sensitive to the power of song lyrics. It's one thing to listen to songs that present messages to uplift, enocourage, and support our positive choices in life. It's quite another to listen to songs that glorify body parts and the extent to which they work, women being called every name in the book BUT women, etc. Used to be these sorts of songs were "banned" generally speaking on the public airwaves, but not anymore. Just hearing a "bleep" instead of the actual offensive word does NOT mean the listener didn't "get it" about what was just sung. I almost fell over last year when one of my student clients said "Thrift Shop" was one of her favorite songs and would be played at their prom. Have you read the explicit lyrics to Thrift Shop? If not, I hope you aren't a parent with a kid who loves that song! Now, I can't even keep up with what's the most offensive song ala May 2014---because there are too many of them!
I can also recall when my kid was in grade school and "Jerry Springer" first came on the air. I was shocked at the number of kids allowed to watch this show, let alone when they began understanding the content of each program. Then Sex and the City came down the pipeline by the time ours was in high school; talk about the first televised program I knew of that broadcasted straight up porn for the masses! Yet once again, there were kids our daughter's age who "loved" SITC and watched it every week with mom, dad, or mom and dad both! What the...?!?!?
Needless to say, to deny the power of our chosen inputs is not only stupid, but ridiculous. We ARE influenced by what we choose to listen to, watch, and ingest that is not good for us. We can't keep denying how our inputs are what keep us "stuck" in whatever ruts we find ourselves in---and that are indeed of our own making. As I've said a million times before, if nothing changes, nothing changes. Become aware of your daily inputs so you can take the steps to change them from bad to better. It all begins with just one change that you stick with. Then another. And another after that. Before you know it, you'll be feeling better....doing better...and wondering why you ever thought of "inputs" as no big deal until now. Have a great weekend!
For example, what sounds, sights, or tastes do you allow yourself to wake up to each morning? I have known and heard of people waking up to Christian music playing on their radio....a siren-like alarm they can't stand....the smell of the smoke from their day's first marijuana cigarette....the taste from a shot of their favorite liqueor at bedside...or whatever happens to be on the t.v. that they forgot to turn off last night. These are all inputs, in case you are forgetting the point of this post right now.
Imagine now getting out of bed, going to the kitchen, and preparing to start your day. What do you turn on the television set---and why? What do you swallow---and why? Newsflash: Not everyone has orange juice, some protein, and a carbohydrate to start their day! I'm asking because what you ingest and what you watch by choice regularly is a lot like what you buy over and over again at the store. There is a saying if you want to know a man's heart, go through his checkbook entries. If you are motivated, energized, and/or stimulated by things that have a net effect of "not good" on your mind, heart, and life.....why would you (or anyone else?) continue to pursue them? Probably the saddest example I can give of this is the young man who got up each day, popped a few adderall with a swig of water, watched some porn, got dressed, and dashed out the door to work (only to make sure to hit up a Starbucks en route as well!).
As a music lover, I have always been sensitive to the power of song lyrics. It's one thing to listen to songs that present messages to uplift, enocourage, and support our positive choices in life. It's quite another to listen to songs that glorify body parts and the extent to which they work, women being called every name in the book BUT women, etc. Used to be these sorts of songs were "banned" generally speaking on the public airwaves, but not anymore. Just hearing a "bleep" instead of the actual offensive word does NOT mean the listener didn't "get it" about what was just sung. I almost fell over last year when one of my student clients said "Thrift Shop" was one of her favorite songs and would be played at their prom. Have you read the explicit lyrics to Thrift Shop? If not, I hope you aren't a parent with a kid who loves that song! Now, I can't even keep up with what's the most offensive song ala May 2014---because there are too many of them!
I can also recall when my kid was in grade school and "Jerry Springer" first came on the air. I was shocked at the number of kids allowed to watch this show, let alone when they began understanding the content of each program. Then Sex and the City came down the pipeline by the time ours was in high school; talk about the first televised program I knew of that broadcasted straight up porn for the masses! Yet once again, there were kids our daughter's age who "loved" SITC and watched it every week with mom, dad, or mom and dad both! What the...?!?!?
Needless to say, to deny the power of our chosen inputs is not only stupid, but ridiculous. We ARE influenced by what we choose to listen to, watch, and ingest that is not good for us. We can't keep denying how our inputs are what keep us "stuck" in whatever ruts we find ourselves in---and that are indeed of our own making. As I've said a million times before, if nothing changes, nothing changes. Become aware of your daily inputs so you can take the steps to change them from bad to better. It all begins with just one change that you stick with. Then another. And another after that. Before you know it, you'll be feeling better....doing better...and wondering why you ever thought of "inputs" as no big deal until now. Have a great weekend!