During a lunchtime conversation with a friend about the latest news in the country, I casually mentioned that I don't follow the news so closely and regularly.
He immediately reacted to this statement, saying, "Just install a couple of news apps, and you'll be good".
Confounded with his reaction, I asked, "Okay, but why?".
Too often, we don't ask ourselves or anyone else why we should be doing or following something.
Be it news, fashion trends, hot technologies or anything else, we love to be part of the gang and go with the flow.
Our general reaction is it must be cool if everyone's doing it, and I need to get in on it.
Thankfully, though, I've made myself allergic to this kind of thought process.
Going back to the news example, my approach to news is if it's something significant, it'll reach me one way or the other.
I'll probably hear news of this calibre from family and friends or somewhere on social media. I don't need to continuously keep up with all the minutiae to be alert about news that can affect my life.
Also, it's been quite the contrary when I attempted to follow news every day via one of those news apps.
I became stressed by the negative energy floating around in the news channels.
And the funny thing is that 99% of those news items didn't affect me. But I was still getting bothered by them and ruining my headspace.
I don't want to be in such a situation where I'm anxious over irrelevant stuff or regretting losing my time doing something that holds no purpose in my life.
So, when I'm at one of these crossroads, about to jump on the trend train, I ask myself, "Okay, but why?"
Will this thing, workflow, or habit add value to my life? Is it aligned with my North Star principles?
Asking the why behind doing or buying something can help us craft a more content and self-driven lifestyle. One that is not motivated by the likings of others.
It's a simple question that we often forget to ask ourselves.
Everyone's lifestyle, habits and expectations are different. What works for someone won't necessarily work for you.
Before jumping on someone's recommendation or a widely acceptable trend, start with the why.
Do and buy what adds value to your life, not because it's the norm.
