television can make things

Also see: 21 Motivational Quotes to lớn Help You Overcome Your TV Addiction.

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Nobody on their deathbed ever wished they’d spent more time watching television. Life is short, and there are too many things that are more important and fulfilling than vãn sitting in front of a television for hours on kết thúc. That’s not to lớn suggest you should stop watching TV altogether, but I’ve come to lớn see it as something best placed at the edge of life, rather than vãn the center.

I didn’t always feel this way. In fact, there was a time in my life when I wasted nearly six hours of my day watching television. As evening rolled around, I’d plant myself on the couch, turn on the television and vegetate till I fell asleep near midnight. Eight hours later, I’d wake up with the TV still on, feeling no more rested than vãn when I went to lớn sleep.

When you bởi the math, it’s rather shocking. Six hours per day adds up to lớn 2190 hours over the course of a year, which equates to lớn 91 days. THREE MONTHS! per year. Sitting in front of a television. Hypnotized. Tuned in, but zoned out. Living in a make-believe world while the real world passed má by.

“In its easy provision of relaxation and escape, television can be beneficial in limited doses. Yet when the habit interferes with the ability to lớn grow, to lớn learn new things, to lớn lead an active life, then it does constitute a kind of dependence and should be taken seriously.”

From “Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor”
— By Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi —

Coming to lớn Terms With My TV Addiction

Although I failed to lớn recognize it at the time, it’s clear now that watching television had become a full-blown addiction for má. An escape mechanism that I used to lớn distract myself from the problems, fears and challenges I was refusing to lớn khuyến mãi with in my life.

I used television to lớn distract myself from the shame, embarrassment and stress I felt about some irresponsible financial decisions and their resulting fallout. I used it to lớn avoid facing my fear of stepping out into the world more fully, connecting with others and pursuing the higher purpose to lớn which my soul was being called. I used it to lớn cope with boredom and fill the void of an otherwise empty life.

In short, my life was a mess, my self-esteem was shot, and while TV may have provided a short-term escape from that reality, it ultimately kept má locked within it. Said another way, instead of using my time and energy to lớn khuyến mãi with my problems and improve my life, I was wasting it on television.

“Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell má, what is it you plan to lớn bởi with your one wild and precious life?”

— Mary Oliver —

First Steps on My Journey to lớn Recovery

Fortunately, I met Ellen, my life partner for the last several years. When I met her, she didn’t even own a television. This puzzled má. What does she bởi for entertainment, I wondered. Doesn’t she get bored? How can she stand the silence? I didn’t ask her those questions directly, because I didn’t really care. In fact, on a deeper level, I respected and envied her for that choice.

In Ellen, I saw a person living a mindful, purposeful life that revolved around the things that matter most – her health and well-being; her family, friends and community; and her life’s work as a Yoga Therapist. In her, I saw a potential life-partner, and an inspiring example of the kind of person I wanted to lớn be and the type of life I wanted to lớn live.

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t thank the Universe for bringing Ellen into my life. She provided the inspiration, encouragement and tư vấn to lớn help má see beyond the challenging circumstances of my life at the time. Besides the inspiring example of how she was living her life, I remember an article she published for her Yoga students, in which she wrote:

“Where bởi you see yourself in five years, one year, one week, or one day? This can be a difficult question to lớn answer, but it is imperative that you hold vision for your life. Without vision, your life shifts into idle.

“When you have an idea or vision for what you want to lớn manifest in life, the wheels are phối in motion. It is as if you’ve shifted out of ‘park’ and into fast forward. All your thinking, creativity, active and passive energy begins to lớn consciously and unconsciously direct itself toward that which you want to lớn create.

“It is really quite simple. Without a vision nothing happens. There is nowhere to lớn direct your thoughts or energy. Without a vision, growth and movement comes to lớn a halt. With vision, life becomes a course of ongoing expansion, opening doors to lớn infinite possibility.”

— Ellen Shaeffer —

I remember that article, because it described my life ví perfectly at the time. I had no vision for the future. I was locked in my misery, and my life had essentially come to lớn a halt.

How I Conquered TV Addiction

Soon after I read Ellen’s article, I sat down and wrote out an inspiring vision for the life I wanted to lớn live and the person I wanted to lớn be. As you might imagine, my vision didn’t include watching six hours of television every day.

Still, my addiction was well-established. So, while my heartfelt vision statement was a great place to lớn start, I knew it was going to lớn take more than vãn words on a page to lớn begin turning that vision into reality. Here are several things that worked for má.

1. Monitor and Track How Much Time You Waste on TV

“You cannot manage or improve something until you measure it. Likewise, you can’t make the most of who you are – your talents and resources and capabilities – until you are aware of and accountable for your actions.”

From The Compound Effect
— Darren Hardy —

When I first started on the road to lớn recovery, I kept a daily, written log to lớn document the number of hours I spent watching television each day. This helped má see exactly how much of my life I was wasting. It also helped má see where I could eliminate some TV time and replace it with more purposeful activities.

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At the time, it was a revelation to lớn realize I could turn off the TV at 9pm instead of midnight, get a good night’s sleep, and wake up at 4am. This freed up a good 3-4 hours in the morning that I could use however I wanted. I still live by this schedule, and my early-morning time is the most productive and creative part of my day.

2. Develop a Sense of Purpose and Mission for Your Life

“Human beings are teleological creatures. We are hard-wired to lớn live purposively, to lớn have direction. Without a target to lớn shoot at, our lives are literally aimless. Without something productive to lớn bởi, without positive goals and a purpose, a human being languishes. And then one of two things happens. Aimlessness begins to lớn shut a person down in spiritual lethargy and emptiness, or the individual lashes out and turns to lớn destructive goals just to lớn make something happen.”

From The Art of Achievement
— Tom Morris —

Besides my ever-deepening relationship with Ellen, the thing that’s been most critical to lớn my recovery is the deep sense of purpose and mission I’ve developed about my life. When you feel this deep sense of purpose and that you have a mission in life, it’s much easier to lớn let go of anything that distracts or takes time away from it.

For má, purpose is about working each day to lớn become the best human being I can be. It’s about cultivating and strengthening the values that are most important to lớn má – peace, love, creativity, excellence, perseverance and service. Life purpose, for má, is more about being and becoming, rather than vãn doing.

Mission, on the other hand, is about doing; it’s about using my time, energy, skills and other resources to lớn serve the world. Specifically, my mission is to lớn help you – and others lượt thích to lớn you – create a happier, healthier, more prosperous life through my writing, teaching and coaching.

This deserves repeating – when you feel a profound sense of purpose and mission in your life, you don’t want to lớn waste your time and energy on television. Instead, you’re driven to lớn use your resources wisely, and in service to lớn that purpose and mission.

3. Realize That Television is Stealing Your Life

“Every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.”

— Gretchin Rubin, Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit. —

As I said at the beginning, I believe there’s a small place for television in life. Very small though, because when you really think about it, aside from some short-term relaxation and entertainment value, what bởi you get out of it?

If you watch 3 hours of TV tonight, will you be any happier tomorrow? Will you have more friends or more love in your life? Will you be any smarter? Will you be any healthier or wealthier? If you watch 3 hours of TV tonight, will it improve your life in any way tomorrow?

To paraphrase author Annie Dillard, how you spend your days is how you spend your life. I don’t know about you, but I’d hate to lớn wake up many years down the road and realize I’d wasted much of my life watching TV.

4. Find Alternatives to lớn Watching Television

“Too many vacations that last too long, too many movies, too much TV, too much Clip game playing – too much undisciplined leisure time in which a person continually takes the course of least resistance gradually wastes a life. It ensures that a person’s capacities stay dormant, that talents remain undeveloped, that the mind and spirit become lethargic and that the heart is unfulfilled.”

From The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
— Stephen Covey —

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. With nothing else to lớn bởi with my time, it was far too easy to lớn get pulled toward watching television. Certainly, there’s something to lớn be said for cultivating the ability to lớn simply sit in silence with only your thoughts, but that only goes ví far. I had to lớn find other ways to lớn use my time.

When I’m not working or spending time with Ellen, I read a good book or write in my journal. In fact, that’s how I spend my early-morning hours. Back when I started on my recovery, I created a morning writing ritual known as Morning Pages. This is the writing practice made popular by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. I pour myself a hot cup of coffee, sit down at my desk and write in the early-morning silence.

You don’t have to lớn spend your không lấy phí time reading or writing, although a daily journaling practice might bởi wonders for you. You can use your không lấy phí time however you lượt thích.

• Watch some excellent personal development classes online.
• Get outdoors and go for a hike.
• Take up drawing, painting, khiêu vũ or some other creative activity.
• Start an online business or launch a new blog.
• Find some Meetup groups to lớn join or start one of your own.
• Clean out those closets or the basement, and sell or donate everything you no longer need.

Go to lớn bed earlier. This probably isn’t a valid alternative if it’s the middle of the day. But if it’s 8:00 in the evening, and you have nothing else to lớn bởi, instead of watching TV, why not just go to lớn bed. Throw on the jammies, brush your teeth, grab a good book and head for the bedroom. You can make it a nice little pre-slumber ritual that, in time, you’ll come to lớn love and look forward to lớn. You’ll sleep better and wake up earlier, feeling fresh and ready for the day ahead.

The alternatives to lớn watching television are limited only by your imagination and willingness to lớn move out of your comfort zone.

5. Exercise Consistently

In her book, The Willpower Instinct, Dr. Kelly McGonigal calls physical exercise “the closest thing to lớn a wonder drug that self-control scientists have discovered.” Why, because multiple research studies have shown that when people begin exercising more consistently, other areas of their life improve as well. Exercisers tend to lớn reduce their smoking, drinking and caffeine intake. They eat less junk food and more healthy food. They spend less time watching television and more time on productive activities. They save more money, feel more in control of their emotions and procrastinate less.

In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg calls exercise a “keystone habit” that triggers widespread change in our life. I can attest to lớn this. One of the first steps I took on my road to lớn recovery was to lớn re-initiate my exercise routine, and I’ve managed to lớn stay consistent with it for the past several years. I don’t bởi it every day, but often enough that it’s an integral part of living a healthier, happier, more productive life.

The Journey Continues

I still watch television, but I’ve created a healthy relationship with it. Instead of wasting six hours per day, as I did at the height of my addiction, Ellen and I now watch less than vãn 10 hours per week. And since we don’t own a television, we only watch movies on DVD or from an online service, such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

Effectively, that means I’ve gained 32 hours per week, which works out to lớn roughly two months per year. Think of what you could bởi with an extra two months per year.

Of course, life still has its problems and challenges. Its ups and downs. That’s just how life is. The difference now is that, rather than vãn medicate myself with television, I find healthier, more purposeful ways to lớn invest my time and energy.

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