I have found in my life that media (movies, books, music, etc.) has a very powerful effect on me. I think everyone is affected by it to some extent, but it seems to have a profound influence on me. That is partially why I’ve been drawn to media my whole life. When someone mentions a year, I often think of a movie or book that came out that year. When I am trying to express a thought I will often relate it somehow to something I read or watched. That is how I am wired.

So I’ve learned to be very careful what media I allow myself to experience and I purposely try to use media to correct my mood if I can. For example, there have been times when I have been extremely angry and I had to get it out somehow. So instead of running over a pedestrian, I blasted angry music as I drove down the highway and screamed along. I then forced myself to switch to something slightly tamer and then even more so until I was down to a level where I would even swerve to miss a cat.

I also download spiritually uplifting music and talks onto my phone so I can listen to that when I am feeling down.

It sounds good in theory, but it is actually very difficult to get yourself to use media that you are not presently in the mood for. I guess it is like dieting where people say, “I would really like some chocolate right now. I guess I’ll have a carrot.”

My wife and I have had a subscription to Success magazine for quite some time now (I don’t think we’ve paid for it for quite a while, but it keeps coming anyway). I’ve enjoyed the articles when I’ve found time to read them occasionally, but I’ve never listened to the audio CD that comes with every issue. The other day my wife could tell that I was not my usual self and she suggested I listen to one of those CDs. She has listened to all of them and really likes them. I said, “sure” and grabbed one on my way out to work.

The first speaker was named Seth Godin. I thought, “Isn’t that the guy from Austin Powers?”. It turns out I was way wrong. After seven minutes into the interview I stopped the CD and called my wife. I was transformed. I couldn’t believe how hopeful and excited about life I was. It was amazing. The CD had 4 or 5 segments on it and I listened to the whole thing twice that day. I’ve listened to it more since and I have been going back through all of the issues we have laying around the house, and listening to those as well.

What I like about Success magazine, and all the media they produce, is how positive it is. They don’t try to uncover scandals or shoot down these people who have succeeded in various areas. They just let them share the principles and experiences they’ve learned over the years. Can I tell you how refreshing that is!

And what great principles they are! Here is an example I found on Success magazines website: “True personal success is not solely financial accumulation. Creating financial freedom and abundance for your family is an aspect of success, but not the whole story.” That is something you won’t often hear in the mainstream media.

Anyway, this is turning into a plug for Success magazine, but I want to stress how powerful and how good media can be. We often hear of the evils of media, which unfortunately can’t be avoided completely (we have to leave the house occasionally), but media can also be a very good source of knowledge and hope as well.