Ok, so I am at the gym today sitting in the sauna after a great workout. In walk two women chatting about their long bike ride. It really was amazing that they rode 45 miles together yesterday after doing a couple of hour workout and so forth. There is a guy sitting in the sauna that knows these two gals. He says to them that he wants to get a bike to ride and a bike riding conversation ensues. After the ladies leave the sauna, the guy "Anthony" and I start to chat. He says that he really needs to go buy a bike and start riding. Then he says, "Nah" not until after the "Final Four". He continues, "Got to have those priorities in line you know"...
This got me thinking. Warren Buffet has frequently been quoted as saying that people will pay more to be entertained than they will pay to be educated. I have often wondered about this. It certainly seems to be true if one looks at the amount of money people will pay to go see a movie, Broadway show or Las Vegas show. What is not so obvious to me is why people are so mesmerized by the bloody entertainment industry. I've been in and around that industry years ago. I owned a piece of a record label and spent weeks on end between NY and LA trying to make things happen in that business. Some make it big in the entertainment industry. I happened to stink at whatever it took to make it big and so it became a place for me to sink money into with a big fat zippo in the way of a return.
What I did learn is that people love to be entertained and that they love to learn. Notice, I did not say that they love to be educated. I said they love to learn. You see, people hate to be told what to do but they love to learn how to do it.
Back to Anthony in the sauna... I told Anthony that he could just TIVO the Final Four and start riding the bike as well. He said "No way, too much street buzz so it would be impossible to not know what went on". I said to Anthony that he was probably right about that and just left it at that. The reality is that it depends on WHY Anthony was going to watch the Final Four in the first place. If he was just watching for the scores then he was probably correct. However, if he was watching for the experience he might want to rethink his point of view. With TIVO he could experience the slam-dunk, the fast break and the crazy upset just as if it were playing real-time. He could never get that experience from a bunch of chatter on the streets.
You see, Anthony was a really bright guy. The question is was he being dumbed down by the entertainment of watching the Final Four or was he simply focusing on what matters most to him at the time. I think that it is a bit of both but I have to tell you that I think some large percentage of it is that he was simply focused on what matters most to him at the time. That is the way people are. People will go about their day, week or month desiring a certain result and never even coming close to achieving that result. Usually, it's because they have no idea what things matter most in order for them to achieve the result they desire. Therefore, their dreams and desires are really nothing more than delusions.
Start with the end in mind. Focus on the things that matter most in order for you to achieve your desired result and consistently engage in a correct pattern of daily activities. Do not get distracted.
To your success,
-PC
Comments