Chances are you’ve done your share of binge-ing in the last few years, the last two, in particular. After one more night, parked in front of the TV, dinner on my lap, watching episodes of a Netflix original, I started thinking about how many hours I have devoted my life to binge-watching.
I use the word, “DEVOTED” because that’s how it's been. I’ve planned my days and evenings around watching the series of “the moment”. Truth be told, several years ago, my husband and I spent a greater part of our Christmas vacation being mesmerized by Breaking Bad. We found ourselves pulling for the down-trodden school teacher, turned maniacal Meth Kingpin. Say it isn’t so!
How much time have I given to staring at the TV, filling time instead of fulfilling my life? How many of these popular series has actually enhanced my well-being? So many of them even bill themselves as “MURDER, MADNESS & MAYHEM” and we watch them as “entertainment”? What am I feeding my brain and heart and psyche that has inspired or motivated me in any way? Has any moment brought me more peace, or clarity, or encouraged me to seek out greater well-being? Then, we wonder how the world got into such a mess!
And how cavalier have I become with my time? Precious time that I will never get back. What does that say about how I am valuing myself?
FYI….If you watched the following list of “hot” shows, guess how many hours we, and our TVs, were together…..
Downton Abbey, Ozark, Yellowstone, Breaking Bad, Billions,
The Queens Gambit, Grace & Frankie, Game of Thrones,
Ted Lasso, Tiger King, The Crown, Succession, Sons of Anarchy,
Orange Is The New Black, The Office, Outlander, Bridgerton
735 HOURS !
PROPELLING THE POSITIVE
It's clear that our BINGE CULTURE is here to stay so maybe there’s a better way to do it. Looking for things that will be LIFE-ENHANCING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING, INSPIRING, and DEEPLY MOTIVATING. There are people and shows and sites available to us that can turn the UH OH’s and the OH NO’s we are experiencing into potentially transformational AH HA’S. Maybe we could set a new filter for our viewing by consciously adding shows that LIFT OUR LIVES and OUR SPIRITS.
If that idea appeals to you, here's a way to better binge in 2022.
Two things to watch. One thing to listen to. All potentially uplifting & life-enhancing. Things you may even want to go back to again, and again to reconnect with the down-to-earth, do-able messages about living life in the best possible way.
YOUR LIFE IS CALLING
First up. Is me...propelling positivity. Just before Christmas, I was asked to be part of a podcast conversation, Life Calling Today, with Chris Heinz, the creator of The Life Calling Institute. We talked about the power of positivity in discovering our calling in life. We also talked about (1) how to turn huge personal disappointments into life calling, (2) three practical things we can do each day to propel positivity in our own lives, and (3) dealing with new chapters in life to create positive momentum.
This podcast is the first in what I hope will be many more to come….about the value of propelling positivity, not just as some nice idea, but as a belief system and a way of life for yourself, your family, and friends and in the world.
THE CALL TO COURAGE
Brene Brown walked up on the TED stage in Houston in 2010 and blew people away with her message about the courage to be vulnerable. The value of just getting real. With yourself. And with others. It has become one of the most downloaded talks in TED history with more than 70 MILLION views. Since then, she has traveled the world, touching people deeply with her permission slip to embrace our courage in order to speak our tender truths. Netflix decided to create a special in 2019 just for her….and for us. It’s fantastic. Enjoy this trailer and if you feel inspired, find the full-length version on Netflix.
THE GIFT & THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL COURAGE
Susan David’s message is about creating emotional agility…..becoming powerful in seeing all our emotions as “navigational tools” rather than things to push down or to “keep the lid on”. Understanding that the things we are feeling are clues….designed to help us get unstuck, embrace change and thrive through times of great stress. She shares that the radical acceptance of all our emotions…even the messy ones…is THE cornerstone of resilience, and true, authentic happiness. Susan has a Ph.D. in the psychology of emotions and is an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. So much is rich and new in her perspective. Like Brene Brown, her TED Talk went viral, now with more than 60 MILLION views and millions of downloads.
So here's to a beautiful new year, positive & healthy in every way.
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