Media Mind Power

The media is hands-down the most influential communication tool known to man. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, social networks, and the internet tell us everything about anything we want to know wherever and whenever we want. And, for the most part, we take it at face value. That’s a lot of power! In some cases the media has sole responsibility for keeping us informed and, if we take no initiative to learn more, what it shows us is all we know.

For example, our nation is in the midst of presidential campaigns. Very often the extents of understanding some citizens have of candidates is limited to what they see of them in the media. Sounds bites, video clips, and statements are edited that often slant what is presented to meet the agenda of the editor but we accept it to be true, and even use it to dictate our voting decisions. All of this while forgetting one simple fact: mass media is a business. Revenue is produced with every magazine and newspaper we buy, with every commercial we hear and/or watch, and with every click of our keyboard to read or post a story. An eye-catching headline and half a storyline are all it really takes to draw us in as the media spoon feeds us whatever they want us to know.

So what does this have to do with purpose and legacy? A lot if you let it! The way we see the world around us directly impacts how we feel about ourselves whether for out benefit or our detriment. How we feel about ourselves then dictates our actions, what drives us, and what we desire; and it is those things that we teach the generations coming behind us. This, my friends, is what builds our legacies. So if legacy is built upon our actions, and our actions are based on how we see ourselves, and how we see ourselves is determined by how we see the world around us then whatever determines how we see the world around us has great responsibility. It’s a responsibility the media is founded on, the job of telling you “the news”. It’s a responsibility others will gladly take and use to their own advantage. Take a minute to think about the last thing you read, shared, or posted in the media. Is it consistent with your Journey to Legacy? Yes? Great! No? Change it!     

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