Are you getting your information and news from TikTok and Facebook? Hmm.

What you are looking at, reading, swiping, binging, has a massive effect on your life. Here’s why. Time is what you have to spend, and you are spending yours on crap. That show about nothing, well, quit watching it. Reruns are on 24/7 so it’s like a donut shop to a sugar addict. But there’s nothing of value in the time/energy you’re spending.

The other thing that’s happening: your L³M is getting jammed with useless ideas and scams. The first one is more like a hangover. Retail therapy is a thing. It’s not a good thing. Friends and family lusting after a new brand, car, shoe, whatever. You don’t need one more thing. You don’t.

Your time and your thoughts are YOU. What you think about you become. Doomscrolling the election fodder? Welcome to cartoon chaos. Picking up on the latest binge-show? Maybe funny to watch but toxic to your soul. People treating others poorly, bitching, moaning, picking fights. That’s who you’re hanging out with. It’s why you feel hungover.

Purpose and drive. If you’re not interested in your next personal project you need to get a different one. Living to get a job, make money so you can buy things, is not a plan. It might be all you got, right now, but think bigger. Think creatively. Aspirationally.

Stop watching so much TV. Read a novel or book of poetry. Walk in the park. Kiss someone. Play catch with your dog until your both tired. Today, watering my lawn, saying hello to Felipe the frog that lives under the Sage who comes out to see about the rainstorm that woke him from a slumber, the wolf spider hovering over and preventing me from opening my recycle bin. “Good morning, José!”

What you watch, read, do: That’s your life. What you think about defines your present moment. Mindfulness is about becoming aware of this INPUT and OUTPUT equation. Bad input means useless output. If you don’t know what to create, ask someone. If you say things like, “Well, I’m not creative.” STFU and learn about it. The Artist’s Way is a portal to another dimension.

Love your time on Earth by cherishing each opportunity to spend it doing something that nourishes your soul. That ain’t TikTok, I promise you. Oh, there might be a great one, I get it. It’s not worth spending an hour swiping to find it. You’ve just spent an hour injecting nonsense and retail “buy now” messages into your human language model. Stop it. You’re polluting your mind, life, brain, time.

Spend time with people you love. Spend time doing things that bring inspiration and joy. Lessen your distracted time. Find a passion you can get excited about. Mine is writing. Music. Visual design. Not watching reruns of The Office or Seinfeld. Let’s up the game of life. Feed your mind a healthier diet. Workout from time to time. Talk to a friend. Help out a neighbor.

Art is not for artists. Art is for everyone.

The joy you had at getting a new box of 64 Crayons?

That’s still available to you. Go buy a box and a nice pad of art paper. See what pops out of your magical mystery mind.

What you spend your time doing and thinking about IS YOUR LIFE. It is your present moment.

Make more inspired choices for how you spend your most valuable resource. Spending time with others in creative pursuits, acts as a multiplier of the joy effect.

Find more joy in your life. Limit your intake of *bs* and drugs. Act as if you’re life is sacred and not a game or a race. We can all win.

John McElhenney — let’s connect online
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ai prompt that delivered the image: photo abstract image of an artist painting a mountain that becomes a real mountain by the far right side of the photo