Growing up (in Atlanta, GA...sorry, I had to throw the shameless plug in there!), I remember the newspaper being a regular presence in my house. My father would usually stop to get his morning cup of coffee and a newspaper before going to work each morning, and would always bring a folded up copy back to the house in the evenings, sticking out of his briefcase. This is something that he still does until this day. On Saturdays and Sundays he would typically spend a solid hour, sometimes more, sitting at the table reading the paper from cover to cover. Some of his regulars were the Atlanta Journal Constitution, The New York Times, and USA Today.
So, you're probably thinking, why am I talking about the importance and relevance of newspapers on a health/wellness lifestyle blog? The answer is simple. Knowledge is power...and certainly does not always mean strictly academic knowledge. The newspaper is an excellent, DAILY resource of knowledge...and what's the best thing about something that comes out daily? IT ALWAYS REMAINS CURRENT. You can find anything about the United States or the world in the paper. Everything from domestic and foreign affairs, to the arts and health/wellness discussions and articles. I make it a practice to grab the New York Times out of my lobby each morning before heading out to my classes for the day. I also stop by the student center and grab a complimentary Wall Street Journal, to stay on top of my financial and corporate governance headlines.
The best thing about these news outlets is that most of them can be found online. The majority of people my age (Early 20s) rely on social media outlets to deliver what may or may not be faulty news coverage on events that may or may not have even happened. Unfortunately too much of social media has been focusing on the Biebers and Cyrus' of the world...and unfortunately that's the majority of the "news" that people in my generation receive. There is almost an adopted attitude with individuals in their early 20's (generally speaking) that "if it's not populating or trending on facebook, twitter, etc. then it's obviously not worth my time." There are plenty of people my age or closer that are missing out on so much valuable information.
So, without further ado...Here are some tips to help you step up your newspaper game:
1. If your university, place of work, or other frequented location offers a complimentary subscription to a major newspaper, grab one! Take advantage of your resources!
2. In the age of smartphones, download an app(s). This can go beyond newspapers as well. The NYT, WSJ, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc. all offer apps for IOS and Android technology! There is nothing like staying informed on the go!
3. If you grab a newspaper, you don't even have to read the entire thing. Often, you can learn a lot by just looking at the headlines on the front page of each section of a paper. Do this, and you'll be able to hold, at minimum, an intelligent conversation about current events at school, work, during an interview and even at the gym!
4. Often newspapers will direct your attention to other types of media outlets like suggestions for apps to download, social media to get involved in, or even blogs to follow (Ahem!)
5. Instead of spending a combined 2 hours+ mindlessly scrolling through social media, direct your attention to the newspaper you have sitting on your desk, collecting dust. The amount of knowledge you will learn within a short amount of time will surprise you and anyone you have a conversation with.
6. If you are still going to spend hours of mind-numbing scrolling on social media, at least follow a few news-pages on facebook, or a few newspaper accounts on twitter, etc., in order to get your daily dose of current global news.
7. When you're done with your newspaper, it makes a great place for you to place your wet, snow and salt-covered boots on to dry! 3 cheers for recycling!!
Thank you for visiting my blog! As always, Peace, Love and Nutella!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment