Watching television is probably the single biggest time waster in the world. Are you guilty of this offense?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
1) Why do I watch so much TV?
2) What do I get out of it?
3) Am I learning anything useful?
4) What else could I be doing with that time?
5) What could I accomplish if I took all the time that I watch TV and devote it to something really worthwhile?
Watching TV is just a bad habit. Like any bad habit, it can be broken. You might have some withdrawals at first, but you will soon realize that you’re not really missing out on much. The real question is not what will you be missing out on by not watching so much TV. The real question is this- What are you missing out on NOW by watching so much TV?
Here are a few problems I see with watching too much TV:
1) It takes up a large chunk of time that you could be using for making a positive impact in any area of your life.
2) It brainwashes you with negativity and gives you a flawed view of the world.
3) The constant bombardment of images and information keeps you confused, out of touch with reality, and breeds a short attention span in us.
So if you are not doing something in your life that you say you really want to do, but you “just don’t have the time”, here is your wakeup call: You are avoiding reality and using TV as an escape. Sure, we all need a little escape once in awhile. There is nothing wrong with being entertained. But if that’s all you do with your free time day after day, you really shouldn’t complain about your place in life.
The truth is we all have the same amount of time in the day. Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and YOU and ME all have one thing in common- we all have/had 24 hours per day. What we choose to do with those 24 hours is up to us. Try this experiment – leave your TV off for a whole day. I know- the horror! What will you possibly do without your weather report, rundown of crimes, gossip, and mind-numbing commercials for one whole day?
Get away from all the distractions for a little while, and take some time to reflect on your life. Get a pad and pen and answer these questions for yourself:
Where am I?
Where do I want to be?
How do I get there?
Am I on the right path?
Is there any area of my life that needs a little more attention?
Then sharpen your focus and make a list of goals that you want to accomplish in the next 30 days in each of these areas:
-Relationships
-Health & Fitness
-Money & Career
-Family & Friends
-Spirituality
If you do this, you will be taking the first step to changing your life for the better. Start to create new, more productive and beneficial habits to replace your TV watching. Here are some suggestions for what you can do with that extra time:
1) Take a lesson- musical instrument, computer class, cooking, personal training, etc.
2) Do some kind of physical activity – walk, run, lift weights, or play some sports
3) Read a book
4) Have dinner with friends/family and actually interact with each other!
5) Find a Life Coach to help you re-assess your life and help you get to where you really want to be. Take the time to make your life something you don’t want to escape. Turn off your TV.