Is this about paying the cable bill or am I addicted to television?
When did it happen that I found it necessary to have every television channel available? We live in challenging economic times and many of us search for ways to help relieve the financial burden. Could I do without my cable? For several months I would contemplate the value of cable television as I faithfully paid my monthly cable bill.
A few weeks ago I did an experiment to see if I could survive without this creature comfort and disconnected all the cable boxes in the house. Oh Lord, help me! I realized immediately that the issue was no longer financial but that I was addicted to television. How did this happen? I am a level headed and productive individual, or so I thought. Why was I having withdrawals and wanting to stare at the dark massive screen in the room?
The first three days were hell! I came home from work and immediately pulled out the DVD and VHS collection to watch as many movies as I could each night to pass the time. It didn’t matter what the movie was about – I craved entertainment. Then on the fourth day it started getting old. From that point forward I worked around the house, concentrated on my business more and emailed and phoned clients to keep in touch, enjoyed the deck and the pleasant weather we have been having, felt more relaxed and spoke with friends and family, and enjoyed my tennis leagues with a renewed competitive spirit.
I began to realize that without any focused effort my energy dispersed to various targets and life was becoming more productive and enjoyable. Oh sure, I missed flipping on the remote but did I miss the cable? Yes I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it but in this case change was necessary and a good experiment.
The other day I wanted to watch a football game so I turned on my little portable television. I keep it in my home office on my desk and listened as I worked on a client’s listing. It dawned on me; I wonder if I could get reception on one of our televisions with this little antenna? I took the antenna and plugged it in to the back of one of the TV’s. Well, I’ll be damned! The reception was fine on the local channels and the ballgame looked better on the bigger screen.
A solution! A satisfactory alternative is now available to the cable bill. Yesterday, we made a trip to Best Buy and purchased three indoor digital antennas for our televisions. This is a very small investment for the compromise of dropping the cable completely. Tomorrow we will contact the cable company and give our 30-day notice to cancel.
I learned several lessons during this experiment. The most important is that changes in my daily routine were necessary to be more active in my day-to-day interactions. A challenge! – Now, can I continue to make progress and transition my television time to other activities? We will see…
Balance: Weighing the importance of a real estate career and Life’s gifts
Do you have good balance of work and personal time? I thought I did until it hit me hard over these past few days that I need to take more time and enjoy life, family and friends.
For approximately five months a few of my relatives have been planning a 60th birthday party surprise for my cousin to be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The plan was to bring family in from different areas of the country to surprise him as he would take a break from his work in California to come home to Colorado to be with his family. At first it was not an issue to go but these past few months’ business has been very good to me so I backed out to keep on top of my buyers and sellers. It was early last week after several conversations I agreed that I could fly out on Thursday but would need to return to be in Nashville by Saturday afternoon. I decided to take my laptop with me and work as I traveled.
Before leaving for the airport Thursday morning CNN reported that Farrah Fawcett passed away. Wow! I will be 50 years old this coming month and I was just like every male of my generation that had her posters on my wall and in my locker. She was a 70’s Icon! We all knew that she was giving her all as she battled cancer but just to hear that she passed away was no longer just a passing thought. I thought, oh well, she will be in my prayers tonight.
I had to fly to Atlanta to connect to a flight to Colorado Springs. The flight was quick, up and down to Atlanta and I had a few hours to wait before boarding so I pulled out my laptop and cell phone and started my activities. Michael Jackson’s name caught my ear so I glanced up and CNN was reporting that he had a heart issue and believed to be in a coma. I continued to work and thought maybe it is a publicity stunt or something. As I worked in the busy terminal I could hear different comments about him as people would be telling their jokes – just natural as people have conversations since this seemed to be the lead story.
Breaking News…CNN can now confirm and report that Michael Jackson is dead. I immediately looked up to watch the television and then looked around my gate as well as the nearby gates. Silence! People of all ages did not speak but stared at their area’s monitor as the report continued. Damn, Farrah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson! I could only think of sadness as this great talent that we were blessed to see in our lifetime seemed to have struggled with happiness despite all the fame and glory around the world. I thought to myself that he appeared to always seek the childhood that evaded him. Seeking his childhood as an adult caused him great pain and public scrutiny. Another Icon of my generation passes away.
I could not work anymore as my thoughts transitioned from the passing of these two talents to thinking about life. Am I doing the best to balance my career responsibilities and enjoying the gift of life? I thought I was; I play in tennis leagues, have several good friends, love my home and family and make it a point to get out in the community and giveback when I can. Yet here I was dreading taking time away from my work to spend just a few days with relatives, many of which I have not seen in years. Needless to say I had a reality check. Balance! No more laptop for a few days. My visit was one to remember. We had a blast and I cherish the time we shared.
The real estate industry can be (and is) a 24/7 business. It is easy for all of us to fall in the trap of working so hard that we let life pass us by. I am now more conscious of the efforts that I need to make to continue to be successful in business and enjoy life! Wishing each of you all the best!
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