“People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news.”
-A. J. Liebling, American journalist.
Imagine it’s the morning of a road race you’ve been training to run for six weeks. When you get out of bed that morning, you know you’re going to need a breakfast that will help power you through the miles ahead. Nothing too heavy– just enough of the right foods to ensure you’re competing at peak performance.
Now: Would you choose a jelly donut, a latte, and a side of bacon, or would you opt for the apple with peanut butter, a little oatmeal, and black coffee?
Specific tastes aside, the choice is pretty obvious. You’d pick the fuel best suited to sustain you through the race. One choice puts you at a disadvantage while the other sets you up to succeed.
When it comes to food, the choice seems obvious. But doesn’t it also apply to our mindset and attitude? Do you find yourself watching or reading the news each morning, soaking up the phrases “crisis” and “environmental tragedy” left and right? Have you ever considered what the impact is of beginning the day with the onslaught of disaster?
Sometimes, the “big gloomy picture” is like that donut and bacon that will leave you gasping for air by the end of mile one.
Here’s an experiment to try: Pick one day a week you consciously decide NOT to begin your day with news of hardship and bleak global strife. After all, you’re sharpest right in the morning, primed for learning and positioned to start the day in a positive mindset. Make one morning a week the one you read from an inspiring business book or learn about new technology through articles you’ve saved online. (You’ll probably find yourself in a better mood those days, and may even look forward to them.)
I’m not suggesting you stick your head in the sand; certainly there’s a value to being informed about local and national news. But is it really going to hurt you to fill up on “good mental fuel” once a week?
Choose a fuel that will help you burn clean!
