After flipping from channel to channel, I finally settled for Entertainment Tonight. It featured inside scoops on celebrity marriage scandals, the still ongoing speculations about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette (were they fighting, was she pregnant?) before their fatal plane crash, the legendary Hollywood casting couch, real messy celebrity breakups, and all the other juicy inanities that make entertainment the enticing and lucrative business that it is.
Like a smoker who stopped but succumbed to that proverbial "just one little puff," I was once more powerless in the claws of that darn tube again! It felt good to reign over the remote control and, in an instant, I was back to the professional TV addict I used to be. With much hesitation, I turned the TV off lest I become mercilessly hooked again.
When my life guru demanded that I give up TV and be very selective of what I read and listen to, she said it would be a sure way to find time to live my own life and realize my dreams. (Don’t get me wrong now – I still watch TV once in a while especially when there is a real hot special showing.) She added that it would keep out from my consciousness all the negative things media is saturated with these days.
"Life is not a spectator sport," she emphasized, "you have to get out there, play it, and be the hero!" She exhorted me to be a star on the stage of life. She warned me about getting reduced to a mere spectator – one of the many anonymous faces applauding in the galleries.
Knowing I would suffer a withdrawal bout once I give up TV, I protested, "But Holly, how am I supposed to know what’s happening around the world?"
She smiled and shrugged, "Don’t worry, dearie. If it is really important and truly newsworthy, you’ll get to hear about it!"
What does this follow-the-loudspeaker kind of life give you? A zombie existence that is never truly your own. You have time for everything and everyone else except for yourself and the things that are truly important to you. To matter in this life, you have to be the mover, not the moved; you must set the trend and pace, not just follow.
By giving up TV and being very selective about movies, reading materials and recordings, I was able to find more time to concentrate on my writing, restore vintage and antique paintings, and complete unfinished songs shelved in my mind for years. I was able to put together dynamic seminars that help people find direction and meaning in their lives. I constantly think up projects that would make my life more useful and significant. Most importantly, I live the way I want to, not how others dictate I should. I enjoy my life, savor it to the fullest, and don’t care about those envious, wagging fingers.
I am no longer concerned about who is dating whom, who dumped whom, who is quarreling with whom, who won, who fell flat on his face, who is rich, who is bankrupt, who is saintly, who is guilty, who is laughing, who is crying, who is what. I know that the circus goes on but the best thing I learned (most especially from Holly) is that I have the power to choose whether to be part of it or not.
The problem is that we have been taught to find what we are searching for from the outside world – love, wealth, happiness and even fulfillment. Our focus is on external things. We define ourselves through other people, through inanimate objects, possessions, fame, fortune and power. When we lose these things, we are left with nothing.
Having real happiness and true freedom means knowing, doing and finding what you really want in life. It’s time to listen to the beat of your own drum and keep your feet dancing to its unique cadence. For once in your life, take time to pause, search, and listen within you. There, you will find the amazing treasures that will make you the star in your life.
For tickets, call or text 0917-3245645. The seminar is sponsored by Cebu Pacific and the Waterfront Hotel, and inspired by the visionary and indefatigable Honey Jarque-Loop for the benefit of the Gugma Home for the Aged. See you all, Cebu!