57There’s nothing wrong with occasionally watching
other people do what they love doing. But the average
household now does this for seven hours a day! Are they
living on the side of the glass that will advance their
lives? (Big advertisers hope not.)
Here’s a good test for you to determine if television
motivates you more than books do: Try to remember
what you watched on television a month ago. Think hard.
What effect are those shows having on the inspired side
of your brain? Now think about the book that you read a
month ago. Or even the e-zine you read last week. Which
made a more valuable and lasting impression? Which
form of entertainment better leads you in the direction
of self-motivation?
Today the growing fascination with going online is
an improvement over television, especially if you inter-
act. Communicating inside thoughtful chat rooms and
sending and receiving e-mail both grow the brain. Tele-
vision does the opposite.
Groucho Marx once said he found television very
educational. “Every time someone turns it on,” he said,
“I go in the other room to read a book.”
23. Break out of your soul cage
Our society encourages us to seek comfort. Most
products and services advertised day and night are de-
signed to make us more comfortable and less challenged.
And yet, only challenge causes growth. Only chal-
lenge will test our skills and make us better. Only chal-
lenge and the self-motivation to engage the challenge
will transform us. Every challenge we face is an oppor-
tunity to create a more skillful self.
So it is up to you to constantly look for challenges to
motivate yourself with. And it’s up to you to notice when
Break out of your soul cage