No News Is Good News

May 18, 2009 on 6:16 pm | In Motivation, activity, focus, goals | 12 Comments

Are you as tired as I am of all the bad news being offered up by the national media? If so, please join me in a special campaign this week. I’m officially designating it National News Free Week.

This is the critical second step in staying motivated to accomplish your goals: the ability to stay focused and avoid distraction! So I’m issuing a challenge to as many people as I can reach to turn off the news for one solid week. That’s right: no TV, radio or internet news for seven full days.

“But Jerry!” you ask, “How will I know what’s going on in the world?”

Good question, and the answer may shock you. Listen closely: it doesn’t matter! Yes, you read that right…it just doesn’t matter what’s happening in the world around you. The only thing that truly matters is what’s happening in the world inside of you.

I wonder how many people realize that by obsessing about which corporations are filing for bankruptcy this week and what the Dow is doing this minute, they are actually giving up the only power they have: the power to direct their own thoughts and actions. They are allowing the circumstances of the world around them to dictate their actions. What an incredibly dangerous way to live!

And yet, that’s how the vast majority of people structure their lives. They decide how they’ll act and what they’ll think based on what they see and hear going on around them instead of listening to the voice inside of them that tells them what they should be doing.

What does this have to do with sales and motivation? Just this: if you have been sucked into all the drama, I can almost guarantee that it’s had a negative impact on your sales activity. It has de-motivated you. Honestly, how motivated do you feel to get up early and stay out late when the news is convincing you that no one has any money to spend anyways?

So this is a call to action! Starting at 12:01 am on the day you read this, turn off the news and don’t turn it back on until 11:59 pm seven days later (the really adventurous might want to make it all TV, but that’s up to you). In place of the news, read a good book or listen to an audio program or sales podcast that will motivate you to get into activity mode. If something really important happens in the world, I promise that you’ll hear about it.

This one act is going to help you take your power back. Instead of feeling like a victim of the economic crisis, you’ll begin to realize that you have the privilege, as a small business owner, entrepreneur or salesperson, of being a part of the solution to said crisis! You’ve heard that nothing happens until something gets sold, and that’s never been more true than it is now. We need to restore the confidence of the average consumer to resume consuming. If we don’t, who will?

Do I mean to say that you should be out selling things to people that they don’t need or can’t afford? Absolutely not! That kind of behavior has been one of the big causes of the current situation. At the same time, you need to be working hard to match up your products and services to your customers’ needs and help them to realize that it’s okay to buy!

Are you with me? If so, pass this challenge along to everyone in your network and let’s make this week the most productive one so far this year.

I look forward to hearing your feedback and, hopefully, your success stories as well. Leave a comment and until next time, happy sales to you!

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Excellent – and you’re absolutely right. I keep my news reading and viewing to an absolute minimum and I still know what’s going on. What you concentrate on is what you get.

Comment by Anne Perret — May 19, 2009 #
Exactly, Anne. It’s like my hero James Ray always says: “Energy flows where attention goes!” Thanks for the comment.

Comment by Jerry — May 20, 2009 #
[...] take in on a daily basis and replace the negative with something positive. I talked about this a couple of days ago, but the point is this: be proactive with your mental intake. Don’t just soak it all up [...]

Pingback by Successful Selling Is All In Your Head « The Motivation 101 Blog — May 20, 2009 #
I have been amazed over the past six years at the direct relationship between news-watching and my mood. I started my news fast before I met you, Jerry, but listening to ‘Motivation 101′ solidly reinforced *why* I made the choice. I’ll never go back; if there’s something I need to hear about, it’ll be unavoidable. In the meantime, I’ve got better things to focus on than all the negativity the media thrives on.

Comment by spinhead — May 20, 2009 #
Thanks Joel! Please tell all your friends to join us in National News Free Week…Viva la revolucion!

Comment by Jerry — May 21, 2009 #
About 15 years ago I stopped watching and listening to the news all day long and become a headline watcher. I have happier ever since.

Comment by Ray Ward — May 21, 2009 #
Yeah, I do the same thing. I have my Google home page set up to display 3 headlines at a time. I rarely click for the full stories…the headline usually tells me everything I need to know. It’s not about being uninformed…it’s just about filtering the content you allow in to your head. Thanks Ray!

Comment by Jerry — May 22, 2009 #
[...] we talked about shutting off the news to create your own National News Free Week. This step will help you avoid distraction and stay [...]

Pingback by It’s Time to Get Motivated! « The Motivation 101 Blog — May 22, 2009 #
Jerry – I’m not so sure about switching off the news.

I take the approach that rather than shutting ourselves off from bad news, we need to develop the resilience to not be affected by it – to remain positive and confident despite bad news. I’d rather do this than “bury my head in the sand”. Bad news causes me to work harder – not get depressed.

An analogy: no one likes rejection – but in sales you are going to be faced with it. Rather than avoiding rejection (by not meeting anyone other than the hottest prospects, never cold calling, or never taking risks) we need to develop resilience so that we’re not hurt by rejection.

Ian

Comment by Ian Brodie — May 22, 2009 #
Ian – Thanks for the comment. I agree that we need to develop resilience because we’re going to be faced with bad news whether we like it or not. There is absolutely no way to shut ourselves off completely from the news. I just don’t see a reason to tax our positive mental attitude needlessly by watching/listening to the constant stream of information, most of it negative, coming from the media outlets.

That’s why I recommend a 7-day fast to break the addiction, the need to know everything that’s happening every minute of every day. Once you’ve broken the addiction, taking the news in small doses to stay informed is a good idea, especially if you’re in a position (like sales) that calls for a high level of interaction with other people. Personally, I get my news from talking to other people and selectively reading news articles I’m interested in and that might have a direct impact on me or my clients. In my humble opinion, the rest is just noise.

Jerry

Jerry

Comment by Jerry — May 22, 2009 #
I think that sounds a lot like wearing shoes that don’t fit, and believing that it makes walking more meaningful.

Wearing weights is good exercise. Being beaten with sticks while you run is just painful and counterproductive.

Of course, we need to have resilience against negativity. But we don’t have to watch the news every night and listen to talk radio all day to develop it.

Bad news all day every day is toxic. It’s not even remotely related to the risks necessary to be an entrepreneur; it’s more like endlessly cold-calling on those who’ve made it clear they’re not interested, just to develop a thick skin. Waste of time and energy.

Avoiding negativity is not burying your head in the sand, any more than eating healthy is. Physically, we are what we eat. What makes anyone think the same isn’t true for what we take in mentally?

Comment by Joel D Canfield — May 23, 2009 #
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jill Konrath and Todd Youngblood, Jim Keenan. Jim Keenan said: The first critical step to a happy life? Turn off the news! To find out why, read on: http://bit.ly/H1ZrK (via @jerrykennedy) [...]

Pingback by Tweets that mention No News Is Good News | The Motivation 101 Blog -- Topsy.com — August 19, 2010 #