Finding Light In Dark Places
It would be a lie if I told you I’m not worried about my son’s future in the darkened landscape we know as our world. But there’s more we can do than “hope and pray”.
As I’ve gotten older and grown into my own skin I’ve learned there’s a better way to operate. It starts and ends with your mindset. But we have to do physical things that nurture that mindset as well. There’s an important question to ask yourself. How much negative content do you feed yourself every day? Truly think about that.
Watch the news? I had to stop. It’s too negative. Have toxic Facebook “friends” who post nothing but how terrible life is? Unfollowed. Don’t need that negativity. And I have unfollowed A LOT of people for that reason. The point is, you are what you eat. You fuel yourself with negativity and your life will be filled with more of it by your own choice. It turns you into a pessimist without you even knowing it. You’re unknowingly seeking the darkness because it’s what you’re accustomed to seeing. Time to start seeking the light in the world.
In my business, one thing I’m really good at doing is what I call “trimming the fat”. What that means is cutting out all the parts of the song that do not actually help or lift the song. LIFT is a big word in that sense. Does a lyric or melody actually LIFT the song? If the answer is no, it’s got to go! And I apply that very same mentality to daily life as well. Sounds easy enough right? Well you’ll have some tough choices to make if some of those people are your closest friends and family. But if you ask me, there’s no choice at all. You simply do what gives you the best chance to succeed. Even if that means letting go of some very old, faithful relationships. At the end of the day it comes down to two choices. Does that relationship make you a better or worse person? Do they LIFT you or weight you down? You’ll find there really is no in-between.
Once you do that and make an initial “binge” of certain negative aspects you’ve identified, you’ll find it easier to not only do things, but you’ll find your day becomes that much more enjoyable. And social media won’t have to be a place you scroll through so much bc you’ll enjoy most of your content.
The flip side of this is feeding yourself positivity. It can charge your batteries. I prefer following positive “influencers” and also companies and news about specific things I’m passionate about. A couple of my personal favorites are Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, and Andy Frisella. They mostly empathize much of the same things such as hard work and being smarter in business. “Gary Vee” also empathizes being positive and kind to people which I love. We need more of that all around. And while some of it may seem common sense, it still helps actually hearing someone say it. It’s that reiteration of doing good, being positive, and taking on each day. We need that sometimes to keep us focused on what’s important.
We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We’re just trying to remind ourselves it’s round and can carry us places. We shouldn’t always be trying to push it up a hill.
Though it may be a bit strange at first, this shift from the negative into the positive will pay a little more each day. It doesn’t have to be all puppy dogs and cotton candy. That’s not what I’m trying to say either. It’s important to keep up with news too I think, but keep it in smaller doses. It make a difference in your body, mind, and ultimately your productivity.
Smile through the dark my friends. There is still light at the end of the tunnel.
Listening to "Weird Fishes" by Radiohead
Thank you for reading.