Throw Away Your Television!

Despite usually being just plain random, the Red Hot Chili Peppers actually do say it best about TV in this quote:

Throw Away Your Television

Take the Noose Off Your Ambition

Reinvent Your Intuition Now

I woke up fresh as a daisy this morning from a more than adequate night of sleep, went to work and, safe to say, worked harder and surfed the internet less than usual. I am even making a return to blog writing to the joy of you loyal readers out there. All because I got rid of my TV.

So what drove me to throw away my television? Sometimes I think I am just plain crazy. One thing I now know for sure is that I’m not normal. But I have always believed we can all live better lives without television and I bet many of you think the same (especially those of you who watch TV as much as I did). The problem is almost literally “getting off the couch” and doing it.

Truthfully the thought of giving up my TV had always occupied my thoughts, but that thought had been cornered into deep recesses of my brain, displaced by strong urges to lie on the couch, switch on the PS3, watch sports, shows, movies, etc.

Fortunately I found inspiration through a chance meeting with an acquaintance. One day in the coffee shop I was reading while my neighbro (yes, I spelled that correctly – buddy who lives next door) was catching up with an old friend. Their conversation caught my attention, because it wasn’t ringing with monotonous news like “work sucks”, “getting married”, or “bought this” and that. In fact it was the complete opposite. It turns out this guy gave up all the things people strive for in life, a high flying lifestyle with possessions that indicate affluence and sophistication, and traded it in for a life of simplicity. He gave up his sports car, a place to live with decent square footage, and, of course, his TV.

Doesn’t that sound crazy? Well, as a guy who we’ve just minutes ago established is a bit crazy, I was hanging off his every word. To back it up, this guy seemed to be doing meaningful things with his life. Coming out of that meeting sprung forth my motivation to give up my TV! Moose, if you’re reading this, thanks buddy.

Since dumping my TV to the curb, I have renewed my relationship with life. It’s been about one week and I’ve already eclipsed my productivity for all of 2012: I played board games, went snowboarding, attended a speaker presentation, attended an outdoor living show, volunteered, am hanging out with friends and reading more, and hosted an awesome birthday party.

I figured my birthday was a memorable date to choose to dump the TV to the curb. I also figured I would do something special with the wall space, to cover up the black hole that had once sucked the soul out of my limpless body for hours on a daily basis. The result? An instantly priceless canvas painted by my friends during my party.

Thanks everyone for contributing to my new awesome wall art!

Like the RHCP lyrics goes, I have rediscovered my ambition and intuition. It’s still the early stages, but I figure I can sustain a high level of productivity without burning out or yearning for TV again. There will be growing pains. How will I watch late-night tennis tournaments, or the NBA playoffs? How about HD movies with surround sound? Most of all, can I wean myself off my addiction to videogames? Maybe equally worrying, would this turn away prospective girlfriends?

Girlfriends aside, the solution is simple: I have some big upcoming plans. If I continue to make the most of my time freed up by no TV, I might forget I ever had one. Time will tell, but so far so good.