Media Beast!

To a journalist good news is often not news at all. Phil Donahue (1935-), Emmy award winning media personality and star of Donahue, the first tabloid talk show.

There is something I just can’t get past this week! Why is it that we seem to keep accepting that the media…conservative or liberal doesn’t matter…just keeps pounding us with negative news! We sit on the couch and hear about the litany of local fires, shootings, attacks and especially how the financial sky is falling on top of Chicken Little’s head and we just soak it up like we have no choice!

What’s even worse is that we get together, especially in business discussions, and slam the media for accelerating the down turn! Well before you go extending the finger, what are you doing about spreading the good news? Honestly…if you have a business, are you telling people about the fact that your product is discounted to the lowest level it has been in many many years or are you just cutting your budgets to the bone and hoping that someone else does your job for you?

If you’re working at a company are you hiding in your cubicle and waiting for the Grim Reeper to come and harvest your life or are you looking for opportunities to step up and be the leader…you know…the one who gets to work before anybody else and leaves last?! The one who works for free if they have to, just to advance the cause of the team?!

You see the problem is that we’re too focused on the bad news…the end is always coming! Like my grandfather used to say when I was watching cartoons, “you believe that crap?” He was right! I did and we still believe it because we stop looking for the good news or even better the truth! Why not ask a few Bernie Madoff clients?

Do you really think that there is no good news on Wall Street? Do you think that every publicly traded company is losing money and on the brink of disaster? Of course not! I guarantee you that it will be easy for you to find many companies and industries doing just fine and some are even thriving. You know why? Because they are lead by the silently smart and positive people! They are the ones who are cutting all non-essential costs and investing in good solid people that aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty!

Here’s the best “Good News” flash: YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET WHATEVER YOU WANT IF YOU SIMPLY KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT! Nobody can stop you but you! If the pundits tell you that real estate “might” go down another 10%, 20% are you the type that dives under the bed shivering as the storm passes or do you go out with your fear proof gear and look for the best buy? If the analysts tell you that the stock market is going to collapse do you stop looking for undervalued companies and watch your 401K just fade away?

I had dinner with a friend the other night and we agreed that if you’re not watching your own money then nobody is! But I’ll guarantee you those that are active right now…you can be sure they’re winning! What’s their secret? Lots of cash? Maybe, maybe not! Great education? I’m not sure the last time an Ivy League diploma guaranteed anything? What’s really behind success is information!

That’s right…all you need to do is a little bit of homework! Don’t start whining about a little bit of schoolin’ because these days it’s just too darn easy! You think there is opportunity somewhere? Then research it! Sounds scary huh? Big old library with stacks and stacks of books…no problem! Real Estate? Google it! Stocks? Google them! Opening a small business or online opportunity? Google for help!

One of the fastest growing industries on the internet is information marketing! That’s right, you can buy access to information about whatever it is you want to study and it’s instantaneous…and yes, most of it is even FREE! Good News!!

So what’s the point here? The thinking tool is to make your news “self-directed!” Why just sit back and be brain washed by a particular station’s news? It’s either something about a major catastrophe or some company agenda being forced upon you, and by the way if you for one second think that any news station is unbiased then go take a cold shower, have a cup of high octane java and WAKE UP! I mean seriously folks…just follow the money!

But here’s the really GOOD NEWS!! We are finally fighting back and taking over! Who am I talking about? Us! You! Me! Look at the evidence…it’s called Web 2.0, which simply means user generated…kinda like “by the people, for the people”…sound vaguely familiar? Of course it all has it’s personal bias, but we are finally set free from the days of getting our news from a limited number of agenda driven sources…at least with so many media outlets we can begin to cut to the chase!

So here’s my challenge to you. The next time you are getting a dose of news, think of an old guy in kahki pants, stained with the ashes of an Optimal Owl cigar looking you in the eye and saying: :”YOU BELIEVE THAT CRAP?” Then just think! Does this make sense to me? Isn’t there always a yin to every yang? A flip side of the coin? Another side to the story? Well in this environment it’s called GOOD NEWS! I challenge you to go find some and share it! Share it with the world and ask them to pass it on and eventually we’ll stop digging our own hole and crawl back out into the sunshine!

If you think this post is good news then click on the DIGG button and spread the word!

P.S. I have put my money where my mouth is by doing three real estate transactions and doubling the number of people in two of my companies in the last 45 days! I’m in! Are you with me?