Look, we all do it, and no matter the amount we do it, we need to do less of it. We need to stop spreading around information about others that we aren’t even sure if it’s true or not. If someone tells you some information about someone that you know is gossip, let the gossip stop with you, and be bold enough to choose to not participate. 

Heck, you and I both know that we aren’t even sure if the news we are reading from some of the biggest news outlets in America are telling the truth. Dear Lord, let’s be better than that. Collectively, we can become a better USA by learning what not to do from the main stream media.

I’m very active on social media, and will continue to do so. It’s a very challenging place to be right now because everyone seems to have the need to be right, and their source of information is better than your source of information. There are droves of people on social media that are just trolling for a fight. They dangle the bait, and hope you take it so they can berate you with their loyal band of followers who think just like they do. Don’t be this person. I’m not saying don’t stick up for yourself or make a point, but try to do so in a civil manner; however, even this is difficult to do. As active as I am on social media, I’ve even been targeted, and I’ve made the mistake of taking the bait. If you get caught in one of these situations, keep your cool, be civil, and try to take it to a private message. Whenever it’s happened to me, I try to converse with people one on one via messenger so other people aren’t throwing gasoline on the fire. Better yet, if you’re local, try and get together with that someone. If we can’t learn to have difficult and respectful conversations with others in person, then we’ve seriously devolved as humans.

Helicopter parenting is all the rage these days. Parents handling all the conflict for their kids. E-mailing and confronting coaches and teachers on issues your kid should be dealing with is a surefire way to shortchange your child’s development. These are powerful life lessons on how to have crucial and respectful conversations with others. And if what’s currently going on in our world with the lack of respectful correspondence with one another by adults, many of whom I assume have children, one could assume that they too had their parents fighting all their battles for them as kids. Don’t get me wrong, there’s times where a parent needs to step in and be involved of course, but allow the teachers, coaches, and administrators do their jobs without the worry of having to look over their shoulder for Mom and/or Dad coming to rescue their kid from their own wrongdoings. Don’t steal the lessons the kids need to learn for life.

We all know the definition of insanity. Doing the same and expecting a different result. One of my favorite Proverbs from the bible is Proverbs 26:11: “like a dog that returns to its vomit, so is fool who repeats his foolishness.” Be honest with yourself on this one. Seek wisdom on this one. Ask someone in your life who will shoot you straight about the vomit you keep returning to. Perhaps that’s your place of work. Perhaps it’s a toxic relationship you’re in. Perhaps it’s a drinking habit that’s gotten out of control. Perhaps it’s the type of people you hang around. Make the hard decision to stop doing the same things that bring about poor results in your life.

I’ll admit it, I’m a movie buff. I like a good action film, comedy, and admittedly, I’m even a sucker for a good musicals and rom coms. Occasionally I’ll get into series about once per year, and will watch some bowhunting videos on YouTube. But I’m very conscience of getting sucked into this habit.

The idiot box (TV) can literally steal away so much of your life. The average American watches more than 4 hours of TV daily!!! Here’s some scary math, 4 hours/day equates to 60 days per year behind the screen. Say you are blessed to live to be 80 years old; that would mean you spent 13 years of your life behind a TV. Really? Is that really how you want your life’s story to play out?