Did you know that we consume 75 times more information each day than our parents did? I wish I could remember where I read that statistic so I could vouch for its reliability. Regardless of how numerically accurate it is, it does provide insight into the pace of consumption during the information age. Here's a great example. My father read one newspaper per day when I was growing up. According to this statistic, I read the equivalent of 75 newspapers per day. We do not read a stack of 75 newspapers rather we read tweets, texts, notifications, posts, blogs, and view the pictorial forms of these same things that accumulate to the total of 75 newspapers. What has not changed is that every single generation in the history of mankind has a 24 hour day so we spend most of our days consuming written and visual information.
The point is when we consume so much information, we take very little time to digest it, ponder it, comprehend it, and then thoughtfully decide whether to discard or retain that information. That process takes time and pacing, and we are not very good at either of those things today. We just consume and move on. Quickly. A very real problem with all of this consumption and so little digestion is that all of that information becomes part of the library of our internal voice and our internal voice is loud when discomfort arrives in our lives. Discomfort can take the form of daily self disciplines, negative feedback from a boss, a disagreement with your spouse, or moving to a new state to take a new job. Most discomforts are amoral, which means they are not good or bad. However, discomfort awakens our internal voice and it starts screaming for comfort. Those internal screams for comfort flare deep insecurities. They are fueled by indiscriminate consumption of information, and they lead to overreactions, questionable decision making, ineffective performance, altered relationships, and an overall poor state of mental health. I am not an expert on psychology or mental health, but I know what my insecure internal voice says when discomfort shows up. I also know that if it is true for me, it is probably true for many others. I have not always managed this over-informed, under-processed reality well, but I have been successful enough at it that I think it could be helpful to others.
'Don't listen to yourself. Talk to yourself.' This is one of those paradoxical quotes that stuck to my brain as soon as I heard it and it is a key part of managing the aforementioned state that I described. The concept of talking to yourself rather than listening to yourself requires some intentional actions to ensure that you can trust what you are saying to yourself. Here are four suggestions about preparing to talk to yourself well.
Consume judiciously - Our internal voice acquires 'fuel' from a variety of sources and many of those sources we are not paying close attention to and we should be. A quick fix to this is to simply be more judicious of what you are consuming. A few suggestions would be to read interesting blogs, subscribe to podcasts with meaningful themes, critique what shows you binge on Netflix, and actually unfollow people (insane, right?)
Consider the source - I do believe you can learn something from any source, but often you will learn what not to do or think. Our times are complicated as any person at any time can become a massive influencer via the internet. Too often we correlate the viral phenomenon with expertise, special insight, or elite skill when it is simply not true. Consider the source when consuming information and you'll know how seriously you should consider the information.
Connect with wise people - Consider these quotes: 'You are the sum total of the five people you spend the most time with.' 'Bad company corrupts good character.' 'If you are the smartest person in the room, find another room.' The common theme of these quotes is that we are influenced by others and that influence soaks into our internal voice. If you want to have the necessary insight to talk to yourself well, be more intentional about who you spend time with and get advice from.
Conclude carefully - I once heard Coach Billy Donovan, 2x college men's basketball national champion, open a clinic with this disclaimer; 'do not adopt what I am about to tell you, just adapt one small thing to what you do.' I do not know what Coach Donovan spoke about for the next 60 minutes but I don't think I will ever forget that quote. Wholesale adoption of whatever we consume is a recipe for inconsistency and as my father often says, 'son, consistency is the key.'
We are living in unsteady times. Steady responses require that we do not listen to ourselves, rather we must talk to ourselves. How you handle what you consume will determine if you can trust what you are saying to yourself.
Keep on, keepin on, friends!
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
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