I longer I live, the more aware I become of the power of our thoughts.
Just as our physical health depends largely on the diet we feed our bodies — nutritious food vs. junk — so too our mental and emotional health largely depends on the diet we feed our minds — wholesome or garbage. And that mental diet consists of what we choose to take in every day by what we read, watch, and listen to. Moreover, the amazing thing is, that is a choice we can largely control, moment by moment.
I don’t know about you, but I try to take in wholesome, positive, helpful content every day. Just yesterday I was speaking with a good friend from our William and Mary days in the 1980s, and was telling him about how much value I am finding from a number of podcasts.
Another helpful source I enjoy is the daily email from Seth Godin. A luminary in the business/communication/leadership/marketing space, Godin shares kernels of insight daily, for free. His blog today, where you can sign up, shared this:
Rethinking Categories Of Media
It is found or it arrives.
It is hosted many places or it has a single home.
It earns and delivers on permission, or it’s spam.
It changes over time or it’s static.
It’s the work of an individual or the production of a community.
It’s valuable because of network effects, or in spite of them.
It produces energy and momentum, or it absorbs it.
It’s scarce or it’s widely available.
It thrives on the long tail or only works if it’s a hit.
It dances with the early adopters or soothes the feelings of the late majority.
It’s truly live, or it benefits from time shifting.
It launches itself or it waits to be pressed.
It enhances productivity, or it reduces it.
It is a catalyst for cultural change, or it feeds on cultural change.
It energizes and inspires, or it trolls with snark and irony.
People share it because it benefits them, or someone has to hustle to make it spread.
It goes stale very quickly, or it becomes more relevant over time.
It’s worth talking about, or it’s not.
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So what do you think? As a licensed teacher since 1987, I like to ask questions.
- Where does The Roanoke Star fit in here?
- How about my writing?
- How about yours?
- How about other media voices in our community? State? Nation?
- On the topic of It’s scarce or it’s widely available, at least The Roanoke Star is widely available; unlike some others, it throws up no paywalls. Likewise, for English learners especially, The DreyerCoaching.com blog offers its 100+ posts for free, widely available.
- Recent polls show trust in the news media at an all-time low. Why do you think that is? Does it relate to any of the points above?
Thank you for reading!
–Scott Dreyer
