Earlier this month, Arianna Huffington wrote a post entitled, "A Note on Trump: We Are No Longer Entertained." I found this to be an enlightening article, realizing that the future of the American people is being decided by who is currently trending. Now, more than ever before, news is available to be consumed at all hours of the day from a number of different mediums. With this constant availability, media must take a responsibility for its role in keeping people everywhere informed and able to make better decisions.
Our world has become focused on stretching ourselves too thin so that when we have free time it is spent mainly on entertainment that requires no thinking. It is both a consumer and a business problem that interferes with a true understanding of the value of time, and of our lives and the lives of the human beings around us. With the focus of always being entertained, there are people like Donald Trump who is trending because he makes controversial statements that capture our attention, resounding above the rest of the noise.
I appreciated Arianna's stance against Trump and his views, while acknowledging the significance of media in all of our lives. There needs to be a wake-up call that makes us understand the important role influential leaders and every single person plays in our future, and how the decisions we make each day determine that future.
I often forget the impact that a small choice I make or do not make can alter someone around me. I have also struggled to find my own voice and overcome the notion that others are in charge so I don't need to have opinions - or that my point of view doesn't make a difference. Arianna talked at a conference I attended earlier this year about making better decisions. One thing in particular that she said that stuck with me was, "We need to be willing to fail. Failure is the stepping stone to success." This quote inspired me to not be afraid of failing, and to not think that my voice and choices don't matter. In fact, it is what inspired me to reach out and write this piece.
In reality, the choices we make every day impact ourselves, the people around us and all of our futures. We are all in charge of this future and we need proper leadership in order to successfully get there. As we start a new year, I hope that other publications recognize the leadership role they play to audiences everywhere. And for us as individuals, I hope that we all take ownership of how our choices affect our very important future.