Why Successful People Don't Watch the News

Originally Published on LinkedIn.com on August 10 2015 by Brett Berhoff

Why Successful People Don't Watch the News.img.1It was the summer of 2000, I was in NYC at a series of meetings in the World Trade Center.

In one of my large group meetings, I had a speaker from the futures trading division of our financial institution. He was captivating to say the least. As he entered the room, I can feel the raw and authentic energy. When he began to speak, his voice was hoarse and shot from the trading pits. His demeanor was anything but corporate.
He told a story about his electronic traders who were referred to as “screen” traders. He walked into his trading floor one day, and noticed all of his traders watching the screen as if it was a television. Each trade ticking by, one-by-one. He quickly left the room.
When he arrived back to the room, he had bags of popcorn with him. He walked the entire floor and handed each trader a bag of popcorn. He figured they could use it since they were only sitting there watching history instead of making history!

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The news is always history. Even when it is breaking news, it has already past. It is important to focus on “doing” and “creating”. Of course, history has its place, and can help to predict the future, but too much focus can leave you in the dust.
Let’s take a look at a couple examples of some impressive people creating the future right now!
Elizabeth Holmes
Have you heard of her? Although she has been plastered all over prominent magazines and news headlines, many of us still don’t know who this is. Did you know she is currently the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. Even more impressive than money is the waves she is creating in the medical industry. Elizabeth and her Company Theranos have created revolutionary methods to test blood. Only a couple drops of blood to run several tests at much less cost.
Elon Musk
Most of us have already heard of this guy. You can’t leave him out. He is creating the future today. As one of the co-founders of PayPal, Elon Musk embarked on a journey to game change the auto industry with his Electric Car Company, Tesla Motors. If you didn’t already know, electric cars are old news. The original electric cars were invented in the 1800’s. Over the years there were many attempts to make this power source a reality in motor vehicles. The most successful attempt to date is Tesla. Ground Breaking, yes! What’s more important is the decision to release their intellectual property to the public. You read that correctly. An incredible attempt at accelerating us into the future.

If you’re going to pay attention to the News, pay attention to Good News!

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There is nothing more that I cringe at than the news that seems rule the newswires. Unfortunately, most of it is negative. On the other hand, for every negative story, there are at least two positive stories. With access to the internet, we have the ability to tailor what we want to watch, listen to or read. Choose your news wisely. It has been proven that negative news can have negative psychological effects on humans. Trim the negativity out of your life, and seek out positive input. The Huffington Post does a really nice job with their Huffington Post Good News section.

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About the Author: Brett Berhoff is the leading expert in Brand Energy Infusion™. He works with Corporations and Individuals to bring their brand and lifestyle to the next level. He is a Business Leader, who has proven success in a wide spectrum of industries and markets. Please visit his profile and connect with him on LinkedIn and explore your next big opportunity.