Guarding your mind

I would like to take a little bit of time this morning to talk about guarding your mind. From what? Glad you asked!

I was in a statistics mood this weekend and looked up many different stats from the number of incorporated places in the United States and Ohio to the effects of advertising on consumers.

Here is one that really caught my attention:

The average 1970s city dweller was exposed to 500 to 2,000 ad messages a day; today it's up to 3,000 to 5,000.
--Yankelovich, October 2006

No way! 3 to 5 thousand per day?!?

Here's another blurb I came across:

by understanding that consumers are more receptive to food advertising when they are hungry, we learn to schedule snack advertisements late in the afternoon.

There are people at work right now who are paid exclusively to devise clever ways to part you with your money. While watching television with my wife last night, I noticed commercial breaks have two basic goals:

1. Give us your money for this product or service - the typical commercial.
2. Hey watch this entertaining show on this day at this time - in other words watch more TV so we can show you more commercials and part you with your money!

Television can be summed up as a device to entertain you while the marketers bombard you with commercials to part you with your money.

Radio is pretty much the same. You listen to music, you get bombarded by commercials. You listen to radio shows like Rush Limbaugh, get bombarded by commercials to part you from your money.

It's kind of depressing how just about everything in our lives revolves around money in some way. I am not innocent either as you can see by looking carefully at this blog! ;-)

So what can we do to combat the brainwashing? I am guarding my mind as much as possible. I don't listen to the radio that often and when a commercial break hits, I usually turn if down or off. I also use a digital video recorder (DVR) when I do watch a show. I fast-forward through the commercials. I also make sure I eat before sitting down to watch the TV. I feel sated and even if I have to watch a Papa John's commercial, I am, for the most part, unaffected by it.

I even go as far as to have a small snack in the car with me on the way home from work! I used to be tempted all the time by a fast-food restaurant I would pass right before getting on the freeway. Not anymore!

It also helps to be aware of what the marketers are trying to do and to fight it. You want my money? Good luck, I'm on to you!

Advertising works very well or they wouldn't do it. Guarding yourself from unwanted influence is an example of living consciously and will help you stay focused on your goals.

Well, thanks for reading The Daily Discipline. The Daily Discipline is your friend. Visit it everyday and...oh, sorry.