Sacrilege – Cover Your Ears!
Why Staying Informed Can Keep You Poor

A lot of people have a compulsion to watch the news. If you are not staying informed, it is deemed irresponsible in some circles; however, what if all that news is limiting your income and even keeping you poor?

If you watch most TV news, you get the distinct impression it is not to inform, but rather to engage people’s emotions. Often the first several stories are related to crime or traffic accidents. Even Paul Keating said he was in dismay when a recent lead story on ABC news was an overturned truck on the Pacific Highway.

What about foreign affairs? The kind of news I usually get is in short bursts in world affairs because I want to know the big trends. Keep reading to learn more on this.

A Study in Human Psyche

If you believe you can pour all that negativity you see on the news into you and remain unaffected, check this out. Scientists recently did a study where they had people walk down a long hall and unscramble five jumbled sentences. Each sentence contained these two words, “old age.”

They measured how long it took each participant to walk back up the hall. When the scientists asked them to repeat the exercise of unravelling the sentences, this time without the words, “old age,” each of the subjects walked back up the hall quicker than the previous time.

They concluded that, even though the subjects were not consciously aware of any change, subconsciously they were affected. The study showed that what you put in your head has an effect, even if you don’t notice it at the time.

The Media is a Business

Before you scream, “It is my obligation to watch the news,” consider this: the media is a business. They rely on advertising revenue to stay afloat. To get this revenue they need customers like you to watch, listen and read the news. They know that good news doesn’t sell. That’s why the story of the cute dog that got rescued from the storm water drain is the last story.

They also know news that shocks your emotions sells best. Have you ever wondered why there are so many stories on crime, traffic accidents and victims? They need you to keep coming back as a customer.

This can be harmful for two reasons:

1. Imprinting subconscious beliefs that the world is a dangerous place to live.

2. Imparting feelings of powerlessness because the news is presented through the lens of victims and perpetrators without personal responsibility.

Becoming rich involves some level of risk, either financially or emotionally. It will stretch you emotionally and help you grow as a person like nothing else. You need to be able to stay “high tone” while on this journey.

I am going to be straight with you. Becoming financially independent to the point where you are a multi-millionaire is hard. That’s why only a small percentage of us get there because it takes incredible persistence and positivity.

Why handicap yourself?

Talk is Cheap

Here is another big reason why you want to limit your news intake. I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently. He is an accomplished person; a former scientist who specialised in DNA research. To say he is intelligent is a major understatement. He originally came from San Francisco and moved here because he believes Australia is now a safer country. We were discussing the political situation in the United States.

When I made the following comment, he sat up and took notice:

“I occasionally like to discuss politics and certainly enjoy being aware of the political landscape. But, there is a certain point in time that, if I don’t do something about it, like becoming a political activist, it is like going to a cafe and talking about tea, but never actually ordering or drinking tea.”

My point is this: I hear a lot of people on the street who get passionately engaged in all kinds of topics; however, at the end of the day, if they aren’t going to do something about them, what’s the point of discussing it? Because by constantly talking about it and getting emotionally plugged in, all you’re doing is robbing valuable mental real estate that you could use for more important things.

Just so you don’t misinterpret my message:  Am I saying to become a political activist? No, I’m not – not unless you feel called to it. What I am saying is be aware of what you think and feel on a constant basis. Ask yourself this: “Is what I am thinking about in alignment with where I want to go?”

By Brendan Nichols

Brendan Nichols has the audacity to believe you should work a little for a lot and shows his clients how he averages three months holiday a year. He is financially independent and a best selling author, published by the giant publisher, Harper Collins. He has appeared in the media dozens of times and about a million people watched an exclusive ABC television documentary on him. He has trained tens of thousands of people, on three continents. He originally started from nothing and had several successful businesses before he was an educator. One of these businesses was a highly successful Real Estate project marketing company, where he launched major campaigns.Brendan’s specialty is showing you the steps to make more money and have an amazing life in the process.To get more information, go to www.brendannichols.com.