How to Change the World

Since there was so much interest in the “Enough Already!” article, I wanted to extend the discussion by sharing something incredibly profound with you…

This article could change the life you experience forever. No joke.

I want to show you how to completely change the world…  in an instant. This might be a bit controversial for many, and even more won’t have the stomach to do what I am suggesting…

You can rid the world of all wars, crimes, scandals, gossip, corruption and international conflict. You have that much power…  in the palm of your hand.

Are you ready to change the world (if you dare)?

Hit the ‘OFF’ button.

Turn OFF your TV
Turn OFF your radio
Turn OFF your newspaper subscription

I’ve explained before (video: Media Madness) how watching media that aggregates the most brutal, shocking, heinous and scandalous events of the day can give you a perverted view of the world. Meanwhile millions of beautiful, miraculous,positive and wonderful things happen during the same day that don’t get any attention. It’s incredibly destructive to your spirit and creative potential.

Here is the controversial part…

Early on, I learned the difference between THE world and MY world. I only pay attention to MY world. After all it’s the only thing I can do anything about. Paying too much attention to the rest of it only makes me feel fearful, frustrated and cynical.

All I have in life is my attention. I have to make a choice of where I give it. That choice affects my experience of life and determines my potential for positive creativity. I can focus it on the worst of the world or the best. I can focus it on things I can’t do anything about or I can focus it on those things that I can and that have a direct on my life and my family.

So, until the war comes marching up my street, I’m not paying much attention to it. Until Al Qaeda knocks on my door and threatens my family, I’m not tracking their development. Until the earthquake is under my foundation or the tsunami rolls up my driveway, I’m not giving it my time. Murders, rapes, scandals, break-ins…  I’m not interested.

I can hear you saying, “Ya, but…!” Let me address a few of them.

1. “Ya, but doesn’t that make you uninformed?”

Personally, I’d rather be informed about areas of life that matter more to my personal goals and ambitions. I can’t quantify how spending two hours on Chile’s earthquake disaster is going to help me grow my business, make me healthier or improve my relationships.

What about compassion for humanity you say? Yes, but there are plenty of other references even more immediate in my world that offers me plenty of that.

Oh, and yes, I’m a voting citizen. When it comes time to pay attention to the issues before the ballots are printed, I’ll do my homework. It will take me a couple of hours versus the months of constant scandal, mudslinging, corruption and distraction others will allow.

Let me show you an alternative option. A couple of years ago, a top executive hired me to mentor him on improving his productivity. He complained he didn’t have enough time for personal improvement study or for his family. When I dissected his day he spent 45 minutes in the morning reading the newspaper, another 35 minutes listening to news, both back and forth to work. During his workday, he’d check Yahoo! News several times, spending at least 20 minutes in total. When he got home, he’d catch the last 15 minutes of the local news while greeting his family. Then he’d catch up on 30 minutes of sports news and 30 minutes of the 10 o’clock news before going to bed. In total he was spending 3.5 hours with the news each day! I suggested he keep his TV and radio off, cancel his newspaper subscription, and set up an RSS feed so he could select and receive only the news he deemed important for his business and personal interests.

Doing so immediately cleared out 95 percent of the mind-cluttering and time-sucking noise and distraction. He could now review all that mattered to him in less than 20 minutes a day. This left the 45 minutes in the morning (his commute time), and that hour in the evening for productive activities: exercise, listening to instructional and inspirational material, reading, planning, preparing, and spending quality time with his family. He told me he never felt less stressed (constant negative news has a tendency to make you anxious), and more inspired and focused than he does now.

2. “Ya, but someone has to care about these issues.”

Yes, you are right, and I am glad others do. I call it picking our battles. Some pick the political battle, some the human rights battle, some the hunger battle, some the homeless battle, some the whales battle, etc. Pick what really matters to you, get involved with your whole heart and soul and stay focused on it. You take care of that issue for me and I’ll take care of this issue for you. That way we can actually get some things done. But instead, most people just corrupt their head with all of it and do nothing about any of it. How could you? It’s overwhelming and overly time consuming. Stick to what you care about, not what CNN does…  every day.

3. “Ya, but my son is over fighting in Afghanistan.”

Bless him and bless you. As I mentioned above, pay attention to what is affecting your immediate family. If your immediate family is involved in some aspect of national news, then, of course, it’s worthy of your attention. It still doesn’t mean you need to bombard yourself with every aspect of the international war on terror. Instead pay attention to what is directly affecting your son and stay focused on him and his immediate world.

It all comes down to this—what you give your attention to becomes the reality of your world. Give your attention to scandals, murders, war, fear and brutality and that will program your creative computer and your world around you. Instead, focus your attention on what’s good, wonderful, abundant, wholesome and possible in the world. Focus your attention on ideas, information and knowledge that can help you grow, prosper, create and contribute to making a positive difference based on your unique talent, skills and effort. Turn OFF the rest… it will change your world and your life!

By the way, that is the type of information we work hard to collect for you in each issue of SUCCESS magazine (and in the enclosed CD in each issue), and what I labor to present to you here on this blog. I hope you benefit and enjoy!

Ready to change (your) world? Tell us about it and/or your view in the comments below.

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