Turn off the TV
A 32-inch television sits on the floor at the foot of my bed.
For the past few months, it’s just sat there, collecting dust and taking up precious space between my footboard and the matching mirrors that form sliding closet doors.
I removed the TV from atop my dresser to rearrange my bedroom. I never gave much thought to putting it back.
Television no longer serves me.
I’ve learned to shut it off, and you should too.
If you love television, ask yourself what benefits you are getting. If you use it as an escape, what are you running from? If it’s a form of relaxation, how much time are you dedicating to unplugging each day?
Moderation matters when it comes to media. It’s not all bad, of course. But the television, only 100 years young, can be a source of one of the most addictive and harmful habits you can get sucked into.
Believe me. I know the cost of being a couch potato. I’ve paid the price.
I’m still scrambling to reach millionaire status largely because for too long I refused to shut off distractions, or at least switch to productive programming.
But television is designed to grab and keep your attention. Its offerings are vast for those very reasons. Name it and you can find it. News. Sports. Sitcoms. Politics. Weather. Shopping. Game shows. Reality. History. Home and garden. Documentaries and more. There’s bound to be something for everyone.
Despite how much emphasis society puts on them all, none directly move the needle in your family’s legacy.
But you do.
Your attitude and actions are the vehicles for personal progress. Television is nothing more than another temptation that will keep you stuck.
I didn’t always understand that.
I remember traveling to countries in Africa as a child and entering the homes of families from other cultures. I was always amazed when they didn’t have television sets in their living rooms.
The television was the center of attention in my family, always centered perfectly in the living room.
In those days, night owls had the misfortune of limited television broadcasts shutting off after a certain hour. The national anthem would play and the screen would cut to white static. It was everyone’s first sleep timer.
Classics like “The Cosby Show,” “In Living Color,” “Martin,” “Family Matters,” “A Different World” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” filled so many of our nights.
Cartoons like “DuckTales” and “Darkwing Duck”, “Pinky and the Brain” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” entertained us after school and, of course, on Saturday mornings over a bowl (or three) of cereal.
I grew out of cartoons and into sports. But I stuck to television, seeing nothing wrong with sinking countless hours into watching football on weekends. I’ve spent twice as much of my life watching men and women dribble and shoot basketballs. Tack on additional time spent watching men and women later talk about each of those performances.
The first half of my life has been filled with sports and mindless entertainment.
But I stopped playing games when I committed to pursuing financial freedom. I had so much to catch up on about money that there was little time for much else.
Weaning myself off of sports and entertainment grew easier each day I learned a little more about how to grow my net worth.
Improving our family’s condition quickly took the place of watching other people live their dreams.
If that doesn’t inspire Parker, I don’t know what will.
She’s at a far greater disadvantage than I was waiting on scheduled showings of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” Thanks to technology, she has an endless supply of time-sucking options at her disposal, not from a television set but in the palm of her hands.
It doesn’t help that Parker’s guilty pleasure is devices. Any device. It doesn’t matter. She’s already addicted to screen time. It’s the only thing she can commit to for hours without a peep or a complaint.
Parker even enjoys commercials, which makes me more concerned for her attention span. She has almost zero interest in the men and women Daddy watches dribbling and shooting basketballs. But as soon as she hears Lerner and Rowe, she swivels and is promptly ready to sing along with the jingle from Chicago’s renowned personal injury lawyers at “222-2222.”
My advice: pick one thing you like and indulge unashamedly in that.
For me, it’s the Minnesota Vikings. I don’t need to watch every NFL game, on whatever day the league tries to monopolize my time. Three straight hours of television, once a week, during football season, is enough for me.
Unless it’s something teaching me about stocks, real estate or business on YouTube, my television is typically turned off.
One of my two sets is just taking up space. I probably paid $500 for the Vizio 10-15 years ago. I’d be willing to sell it for less than $100 today.
It had a great run.
But that television was one of my worst investments.
