by Jim Cathcart
Where do you run when everything seems to be scary?
I watched some news programs last night with the predictable panic-inducing content. They were pointing out all the things we cannot control and how disastrous they might become. At the end of the show I was getting anxious!
Well, wait a minute. If I spend my time monitoring Congress, the President, International Affairs, Wars & Atrocities around the globe, fluctuations in Weather conditions and the rest of the news… what good am I doing? Seriously, what possible value can I get from staying acutely aware of these things? (I’ll pause while you ponder that one.)
<This is me pausing>
I’m not suggesting that you ignore the news, nor that you dissociate from what is going on in the world. What I AM suggesting is that you and I need to control the in-flow of information we receive. We need to take Conscious, Intentional and Relentless control over what we expose ourselves to and how much of it we ingest at a given time.
“Indoctrination” is what this process is called. It is a systematic method of molding a person’s thoughts and feelings through control of the information they are exposed to. When we habitually listen to one or two sources for our daily information we naturally will become shaped by that point-of-view. It’s a form of brainwashing.
Everybody is being indoctrinated. Everybody. It’s either being done by others without your awareness or, through your choices of what to hear and read, with you awareness. It is either intentional or unintentional but it is always going on. I say it’s time for you to take control over your own indoctrination.
Let’s begin with the underlying question: What do you want? Once you get clear on what you want then the ways to get it start to become evident. So ask yourself, what do you want to have, to experience, to feel, to do and to be? What kind of person do you want to be?
The kind of person you decide to become will determine the potential futures you are likely to have. To have you must do. To do you must be. To be you must choose and then act on your choices.
First thing in the morning what do you feed your mind? Music, talk radio, quiet reflection, reading, prayer, what? Once you are dressed and fed, what goes into your mind? In your car do you play the radio, listen to podcasts on your iPod, sing to yourself, what? During your daily workout do you watch TV? Which channels? What does that bring you? Keep up this process as you mentally walk through your day. Notice from dawn till dark what you allow into your mind. Be sure to also notice whom you spend time with. They have influence too.
Now, reflect on the above and Notice More. Notice the patterns, the theme in the information sources. Ask yourself, “Is this indoctrinating me to become the person I wish to be or more like someone else?” (Or even everyone else.)
Next, choose the inputs that will take you where you want to go and make them a daily routine, a new habit. Find the ways to incorporate new inputs into your morning routine, your commute, your workout, your evening unwind and your last impressions of the day.
If you’d like some good resources for this start with the “Online Store” on this website, or scan the 140+ blogposts I’ve inserted here. Sign up for the free weekly Acorn e-letter. Visit iLearningGlobal.tv and subscribe to the inspiring messages and practical lessons from all the top experts. Whatever you do, make it Conscious, Intentional and Relentless until you have achieved the results you want. Don’t abdicate control over your life to the fear-mongers, stay informed but don’t let others indoctrinate you unless you want to be like them.
