One BIG Way To Increase Your Values and Self-Esteem
?Copyright 2005 Catherine Franz

One hour here, two hours there, even fifteen minutes, it all adds up, and
quickly too.  Television is toxic to our self-esteem.  In fact, 90% of television
programs are a depressant.  That leaves only 10% as a stimulant.  With
such a high percentage of negativity fueling the majority of this country
television must play into the fact that antidepressant consumption is
doubling by the year. So, if you
are wondering why you have low self-esteem, think about your television
habits.

Look how long the tobacco industry used television to convince us smoking
was "Cool."  If that doesn't hit you, now we know that fluoride is a toxic
substance that manufacturers couldn't figure where to dump, so the
advertisers convinced the public, and the majority of the dentist
community, how great it was for our teeth, especially our children.  Now,
the truth is really out, including cancer in children in academic portions.

When is enough, just that, enough?  Is the public that gullible?  Advertisers
say yes, and we keep supporting it because we keep buying and doing the
behavior.

In order for advertising to work, advertisers must create a problem or
target a problem.  If the problem isn't big enough, they blow it up with
misleading information to push the problem up in our perception.  Then
they promote a
solution with a limited perception.  These internal messages tell us we
need to be dissatisfied with our lives, what we own, and especially our
self-worth with their answer.  No matter where you are on the social scale,
commercials
purposely make us feel that we haven't arrived yet.

If you love your two-year car, they tell you how great it is to buy a new
one, and, of course, your self-esteem will rise just because you drive it.
The next time you drive your car this message plays even if you don't think
it¡¯s playing in
your mind.  In addition, with all the car ads on television, how can you miss
one even if you mute or leave the room during the commercials, you still
get the tail end of one?

Advertiser even play people by giving expensive cars to
celebratees, create hype about them having the car, which in turn creates
the "keep up with the Jones" effect.  Then, the fans of those celebratees
have just "got to have" that car in order for them to respect themselves in
the morning.  The individual¡¯s emotional roller coaster begins in shopping
for the car, through the buying process, and the first few months with the
new car.

Afterwards they must sit down, watch 30 or 40 car television "gotta have"
messages just after writing a their car payment check for that new car and
immediately get depressed because they have $10 left in the account and
they now want the other new car.  Then talk show programs tell them they
can't manage their money and all it takes is simple common sense.  They
get down on themselves, grab another anti-depressant, and watch
another car ad.

Its a-no-wonder depression is doubling year in children in
America.  The message we're bombarded with is whatever we own isn't
good enough.  Moreover, we allow the television to be our babysitter while
we are off doing something else.  Would you hire an individual to stand in
front of your children and yell at them every 10 to 15 minutes for 3 to 6
minutes on what to buy?  No, television is doing it for you already.
Parents, what-are-ya-thinking?  Or aren't you?

Even though we're intelligent enough to know that our life is good, that
most television programs and all  commercials are negative, the majority of
the people still sit there and soak it all in.

It¡¯s scary to think how as a society we've allowed this to
have such a profound effect on us.  Television advertisers take the most
basic human needs, social stimulation and community, mix it with
perception fallacies, like "we're not good enough" without whatever it is,
and push it out.  Why is it so easy to influence us on how we need to fit
into the social mode?

Some people say if you don't like it, just turn the thing
off or do without it.  Or we need to be smart enough and
just watch the "good" stuff.  Yet, even when we do that,
there are still the commercials.

Television is influential enough for humans to change their values and the
values of all the generations that follow.  Take a close look at someone
who is financially well off and ask them how much television do they watch.
The major respond, "they don't have time," some even say they don't even
one a television set.  Why?  Because of its negative influence.

Television can and does bar our own success.  This author tossed hers out
five years and prosperity has doubled because of it.  Her self-esteem is up
1000% and her weight down 35%.

Be smart in your life -- turn of the darn tube off -- maybe
then you can stop taking so many aspirins or depressants.  Don't believe
me, prove me wrong, try it for 30 days, and write and tell me that turning it
off didn't improve your life.

Television is an addictive habit and all addiction includes
a withdrawal stage.  The same effect when you are getting off carbs,
caffeine, or sugar.  Even those are in the body and the television in your
mind, your body will still react.  Hence, be gentle with yourself.  When this
writer weaned off television, she paced in front of it every night just like
opening the refrigerator to see what¡¯s available when you're not hungry.
Television isn't your babysitter, the majority of the time it's a drug.
Children will go through a similar withdrawal stage as well.

The only way to reduce the withdrawal stage is to substitute it with
something you like to do more than watch television.  Make a list of these
activities.  It will help you when you are pacing in front of that bare spot.

Read a book, have a conversation, play with the kids, write a book, there¡¯s
so much more to life. Start a business, write a book, volunteer, clean out
the garage.  Oops, the last one can't ever be better than watching
television but, honestly, you will sure please your wife if you do it.

Take a stand, change by taking new action, and make better choices this
month with your time.  Eliminate television. Sit in front of a fireplace looking
at the family album laughing at everyone¡¯s baby pictures.  Do this and your
self-esteem, and the people you share more experiences with, is
guaranteed to soar.

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Catherine Franz, business and writing coach, resides in
Virginia and is a syndicated columnist, radio producer,
International speaker, and author.  Ezines  and other
articles:   http://www.abundancecenter.com