Imagine a world where your thoughts shape your reality. The concept of 'You Become What You Focus On' delves into this intriguing possibility. It explores the profound impact of our focus on our lives, and how it can be harnessed for personal growth.
The following quote is 2000 years old.
“Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people’s weakness.”
- Epictetus
- We allow other people to control us because we’re pretty much defenseless when the media exploits our weaknesses
- Look at any social media platform, news website, streaming site, and smartphone and you’ll notice that you and I are being exploited
- You just have to look at the signs
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A Few Tips to Gain More Control Over What You Focus On
Be mindful of what you focus on
- Epictetus once said that if you yourself don’t choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest
Read a few writers online
Just follow someone you actually value.
- You don’t have to agree with their opinions all the time, but at least you like their style and perspective
- Only consume content that’s relevant to you, and ignore everything else
- Will you miss some important information? Probably. But as long as you are aware of these things you’ll be fine.
Turn off all your non-essential notifications
You can turn off notifications for every app on your phone using settings, notifications, and go to every individual app to toggle off notifications.
- The point is that you want to use your phone mindfully
- Think about whether you need to know about breaking news or not
Your thoughts are influenced by what you focus on
William James, the founder of Pragmatism and pioneer of modern psychology, explained it best: “Thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality. Alter your thoughts, alter your reality.”
- Two things you can do to alter your thoughts: manage the negative chatter in your mind and manage external negative chatter.
Don’t use social media to obtain information
Use it to connect with people, not as a replacement for books, articles, or Wikipedia
- Most people aren’t aware that they’re being used, and are being influenced all the time
- Be mindful of how and why you are using social media
Focus on knowledge over information
Information is generally about data, facts, or statements. Knowledge is usually about applying certain information to a specific cause.
- When you acquire knowledge, you do it with intention and a specific focus. You don’t grab random information and go down a rabbit hole.
