Most of us know a troll.  I don’t mean to be a name-caller, but you know the type of person I mean.  As a matter of fact, you probably thought of a specific person when you read the first sentence.  “Oh…I know a troll,” you thought!  This is the person who always seems to be spewing hate and negativity.

You know the type of person I mean.

Well, I was thinking about that person yesterday.  I was considering what makes a person like that.  Why are they so frustrated and mean all of the time?  Why do they seem to be so cynical and angry?  What makes them spew so much venom (regardless of the topic)?

The bad news is, I don’t have the definitive answer or the magic pill.

But I did come up with a question to consider.

What type of media are they consuming?

When I was thinking of my troll (yes I own one), I started to consider what media he watches.  What is he “taking in” that shapes his worldview?  That’s when it occurred to me.  Most media that we all consume tells us what is wrong with other people and the world.  It focuses almost exclusively on what other people need to do for the world to be better.  It’s completely outwardly focused.  That can create a very hopeless feeling if we allow it.

“The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and I can’t do anything about it.”

But there are other types of media you can consume.

When I think about the media I am consuming when I am feeling my best, it has a totally different focus.  The podcasts and books that fill me up make me consider the world differently.  They show me that I have the ability to create positive change if I am willing to do the work.  These types of media ask me what I need to do better…so that I can create the type of change I want to see.

So it begs the question for all of us.  What type of media are we consuming?  We all have a piece of that troll in us, right?  So what can we do so that we are the best version of ourselves?

Is the media we are consuming telling us what everyone else needs to change…or asking us how we can change to be better?

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