The News. What’s so “new” about it? Seems like it’s the same stuff, different day. Watching the news is a traditional American Pastime.  Current Events and the importance of being informed were taught in school. There is a societal expectation that one should be informed on local, country, and world news in order to hold decent small talk conversations.

I used to watch the news every day; it would be on in the morning while preparing for work, mainly for traffic and weather reports. The nightly news, usually following one of my favorite dramas such as ER or Law and Order, would come on after a good cry or feelings of fear from the thought of random crime. I would drift off to sleep after riding an emotional rollercoaster with thoughts of a world filled with unjust acts, anger, far too many innocent victims, and a sense of hopelessness.

At the time, I didn’t have much consideration for thoughts or feelings, not possessing an awareness of the direct connection between information and my life experience.

Early on my journey of self-discovery, I stopped watching the news, because I wanted more positivity in my life. As with any habit, it wasn’t easy to break at first, as I was missing some of the things I found valuable, such as the weather report.

I began going online to a local news channel’s website to look at the weather report. When I did this, I found I would get sucked into the headlines, and I’d start to feel bad and discouraged again. A feature was added that allowed me to sign-up for the daily weather report via email; I could get the information I wanted without the drama. Today, it’s even easier, with the forecast available at the touch of my fingertips on my iPhone.

When someone mentioned a current event, I would simply respond that I didn’t know about it since I no longer watch the news.  Now most people don’t understand the concept of breaking free from cultural norms, seemingly unaware that it is even an option, and this concept would stretch many outside their comfort zone.

Some people would argue that they “like to be informed”. I do too, I like to have information that is relevant to me, that’s why I set up the intention that if there was something I needed to know, something that was important for my wellbeing, that information would come to me. Information came in various ways: someone would tell me, I would overhear a conversation, I’d read it, and, in recent years, someone will post it on Facebook. I love that I can receive the information I need without being inundated by all the information that doesn’t need to be in my awareness.

Others would argue, “It’s not all BAD news, there is good news, too.” In my experience, the amount of time spent covering bad news far outweighed the amount of coverage on “feel good” news stories. Often, those touching stories depict someone who has overcome tremendous adversity and struggle, perpetuating the belief that nothing comes easy and we need to struggle and work hard to achieve anything good or worthwhile.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the world is filled with good news, so much so, that if traditional media would report on all the good happening in the world, there would be no time left to report on the wrongdoing in the world. What works best for me is to access information I need on the Internet, of course there is plenty of fear-based information out there, but I’m able to sift through and quickly identify the resource that is right for me.

I enjoy making my own news, living the life that I consciously create, which is far different than the one that the media would prefer that I live. What life are you living? The one you desire or the one you have been programmed to live?