Bad News is Bad For the Wedding Business

A couple of weeks ago I finally stepped up and addressed a dirty little secret in my life. This “addiction” was starting to take a toll on my health and over all well being. I had reached the point where I was indulging in this bad habit pretty much from when I woke up till I went to bed.

What am I talking about? An addiction to the news.

I’m sure some would say that’s BS. “That’s not a problem; it’s important to keep up with current events…Don’t be one of those people with their heads in the sand. In these trying times you need to have your finger on the pulse, blah, blah, blah…”

There was a time (a couple of weeks ago perhaps) where I would have been the one pointing out the need to have up to date commentary on the day to day struggles in our political system.

Garbage in Garbage Out

I’m not completely sure what finally was the tipping point for me. Sure, the non-stop political spin made me what to scream and choke the crap out of someone.

On a regular basis, Stephanie asks me, “Is this edifying?” (Her way of asking if the news was “improving” me.) I usually grumble something about keeping up with what’s happening, leave me alone…Grrrr!

My son recently pointed out, “Hey, Dad, you ever notice that they repeat the same story over and over all day with the only difference being the talking head spewing it? Kind of mind numbing, huh?”

My friend Barry recently shared with me that he had “cut the cord” about 12 years ago and stopped consuming bad news, which essentially is pretty much 95% of it.

Cutting the Cord

At first I was appalled by the notion of this. You know, that whole “staying on top of what’s happening” thing. But then I took a good look at how successful, happy, and downright Zen Barry was, and couldn’t help but start the dreaded self reflection.

What if the increased blood pressure, acid indigestion, massive time suck and general pissy mood wasn’t really worth it?

Maybe the world would be ok with out my constant monitoring.

So I took the leap and shut the idiot box off. I erased the links to my favorite news sites. I essentially went “dark”.

It’s been about three weeks and I’ve got to tell you, I’m a better man for it. Yeah, I’ve done a wee bit of cheating here and there, but overall it’s been a huge change.

No more starting my morning with death, robbery, disaster or listening to some pundit bitching. I’m playing my guitar more. I’m chatting with my girl. I’m making a plan for how I’m going to dominate my market..Bwahaha!

More importantly, I’m not starting my day in a negative state.

What’s Your Bad Influence?

So what the hell does this have to do with running a successful wedding business? Well, just about everything!

There will never be a shortage of things to distract us from what’s really important. Unfortunately, negative stuff can be very enticing.

I think about all the time I’ve burned up on things that in the end didn’t feed me at all. What if instead I had focused that time on my family and business? Would I be closer to where I want to be?

You may not be a political news nut like me. Maybe you just love to gossip or maybe you’re addicted to reality train wreck shows like Jersey Shore (God I hope not!) I ask you, “Is this edifying?”We have a choice about quite a bit of the negativity that enters our heads.

Have you ever tried something new to promote your business and had it fail, then blamed it on the crappy economy and given up?

All the negativity we expose ourselves to on a daily basis ends up directing our actions. Instead of easily excepting defeat, we can take an empowered approach and adjust our actions to make it work instead.

Could switching to a diet rich in positive data make this a tad bit easier?

Maybe give it a go and share your results. I’d love to hear your good news.

What bad news are you willing to dump for 2012? Leave a comment and inspire someone!

Photo Credit