Almost everything good in my life can be traced back to one summer. It was the summer my parents unplugged the TV and threw it in the attic.
I wasn’t very happy with the decision. My siblings and I threw fits. But the decision was final. For the first few weeks I stared at the blank spot in the living room, willing my friend back into existence. It didn’t happen.
Eventually my fragile will was broken. I started playing outside. I learned some magic tricks. I got so bored, I actually learned how to build web pages. I started building sites. I actually got pretty good.
So my dad called a local internet company to see if they had a job available for a talented 13-year old. They did.
I didn’t take over the internet. I never built any high-profile websites. But that set the ball in motion for everything else I would do in life.
I found inspiration for my life in one summer–when my best friend was ripped away from my eyes.
If you’re finding it hard to get inspired for life, there’s a good chance you have a best friend that’s holding you back. Is it your TV? Your Facebook account? Your iPhone? Try getting rid of those for a couple months.
Hide your TV. Shut down your Facebook account. Remove text messaging and internet from your phone plan.
The first few weeks you’ll be dreaming about what’s happening with your estranged best friend. But soon you’ll get inspired. And who knows where that inspiration will take you.
I went off to a residential high school (sort of like boarding school…) my junior year. We weren’t allowed to have TVs in our rooms so I gave up television and video games all in one fell swoop. It’s been the biggest improvement on my life!
It’s very rare for me to play video games now-a-days. I do it mainly to bond with my brother. As far as television goes, I watch it when I’m home with my parents because that’s all they do. I’ve been trying to get them to stop watching so much, their TV is on from the moment they get home from work, to the moment they go to bed. (luckily they don’t have a tv in their bedroom).
I do have one obsession though and that’s House. I watch House religiously!
I’m sure I’ve developed some other friends along the way (ahem, internet, ahem), but cutting out TV and games has been incredible for me!
-Tyler
Haha. I feel ya. My new friends are my iPhone, my blog stats and Twitter. 🙂
I went off to a residential high school (sort of like boarding school…) my junior year. We weren’t allowed to have TVs in our rooms so I gave up television and video games all in one fell swoop. It’s been the biggest improvement on my life!
It’s very rare for me to play video games now-a-days. I do it mainly to bond with my brother. As far as television goes, I watch it when I’m home with my parents because that’s all they do. I’ve been trying to get them to stop watching so much, their TV is on from the moment they get home from work, to the moment they go to bed. (luckily they don’t have a tv in their bedroom).
I do have one obsession though and that’s House. I watch House religiously!
I’m sure I’ve developed some other friends along the way (ahem, internet, ahem), but cutting out TV and games has been incredible for me!
-Tyler
Haha. I feel ya. My new friends are my iPhone, my blog stats and Twitter. 🙂