Quality of life depends on quality of information
Your life cannot be better than the information you're getting on a regular basis.
The information you're getting daily comes from friends, TV news, magazines, books (non-fiction), etc.
Quality of information is important and even critical to effective decision-making, which is why the multimillionaire financier Gordon Gekko says, upon meeting the eager up-and-coming Bud Fox: "Nice to meet you, hope you're intelligent."
But how can we evaluate the quality of the information we're getting from various sources?
One way is to categorize the agenda of the information source. It can be:
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
Someone with a positive agenda is a person who truly, genuinely cares about your success in life as well as your happiness. Your parents, for instance.
Someone with a negative agenda is a person who truly, genuinely cares about THEIR own interest and success, so they will try to convince you to do something you normally would not do (such as spending money on products or services you don't really need).
Someone with a neutral agenda doesn't care either way, he/she just wants to convey the facts. Scientists and researchers, for example. Of course, if their research is sponsored by a multinational, then you have to be careful about the bias since the researcher will only present evidence or findings that are approved by the corporate sponsor.
Most people might assume that their friends or siblings have a positive agenda, but it might not be the case at all. Jealousy, envy, the drive to impose one's values and lifestyle, etc. will turn some folks into narrow-minded people who will try, often with great subtlety and skill, to influence you to do things you really do not want to do.
Many people also mistakenly believe that the news they're getting from TV networks and newspapers is "good information."
However, to qualify as good information, it must be factual AND relevant. The news about the war in IRAQ, or anything else happening that might be sensationalistic, may be factual, but they are rarely RELEVANT to your goals in life.
In the end, I agree totally with Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, when he wrote in his book Love is the killer app, that the only reliable source of information is books.
Of course, not all books are of the same quality. But the foundational ones written by Edward de Bono (creativity), Peter Drucker (management), Michael Porter (strategy), etc. are worth reading and rereading.
The information you're getting daily comes from friends, TV news, magazines, books (non-fiction), etc.
Quality of information is important and even critical to effective decision-making, which is why the multimillionaire financier Gordon Gekko says, upon meeting the eager up-and-coming Bud Fox: "Nice to meet you, hope you're intelligent."
But how can we evaluate the quality of the information we're getting from various sources?
One way is to categorize the agenda of the information source. It can be:
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
Someone with a positive agenda is a person who truly, genuinely cares about your success in life as well as your happiness. Your parents, for instance.
Someone with a negative agenda is a person who truly, genuinely cares about THEIR own interest and success, so they will try to convince you to do something you normally would not do (such as spending money on products or services you don't really need).
Someone with a neutral agenda doesn't care either way, he/she just wants to convey the facts. Scientists and researchers, for example. Of course, if their research is sponsored by a multinational, then you have to be careful about the bias since the researcher will only present evidence or findings that are approved by the corporate sponsor.
Most people might assume that their friends or siblings have a positive agenda, but it might not be the case at all. Jealousy, envy, the drive to impose one's values and lifestyle, etc. will turn some folks into narrow-minded people who will try, often with great subtlety and skill, to influence you to do things you really do not want to do.
Many people also mistakenly believe that the news they're getting from TV networks and newspapers is "good information."
However, to qualify as good information, it must be factual AND relevant. The news about the war in IRAQ, or anything else happening that might be sensationalistic, may be factual, but they are rarely RELEVANT to your goals in life.
In the end, I agree totally with Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, when he wrote in his book Love is the killer app, that the only reliable source of information is books.
Of course, not all books are of the same quality. But the foundational ones written by Edward de Bono (creativity), Peter Drucker (management), Michael Porter (strategy), etc. are worth reading and rereading.
posted by Super Peter at 5:58 PM
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