2025 March 4 Focus, not drama

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Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me today to talk about focusing on goals. If you like what you hear, please leave a like, subscribe, tell your friends, or send me a message.

Tonight, we're talking about ignoring the noise and staying focused on what truly matters. There’s a lot going on in the news these days—so much that it can distract just about anyone, no matter their political or moral leanings. And, of course, that means Facebook is overflowing with people predicting the end of the world, the country, or whatever else is on their minds.

The other day, I was on LinkedIn—something I do pretty regularly to keep up with certain types of news, mainly related to Ukraine. I came across a post from Ryan Hendrickson, the founder of Tip of the Spear, a landmine removal organization. His team works in Ukraine, and you can find more information at LandMineRemoval.org. That’s the website where you can also donate to support their efforts, since the organization is fully funded by donations.

Ryan has accomplished some incredible things. He’s secured major equipment donations from vendors, trained landmine removal technicians from Ukraine and other countries, and, on top of all that, he’s out there doing the work himself—removing landmines.

His post was about how Tip of the Spear has been affected by shifting political winds in the U.S. and abroad. His answer? Nothing has changed. He pointed out that landmines don’t care about politics or opinions. They are indiscriminate killers, affecting people of all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds.

Ryan’s mission was, is, and will continue to be making Ukraine safe again—so that its citizens don’t have to live in fear of taking the next step. And that’s when it really hit me.

Of course, he’s aware of the political and funding turmoil going on. He’s right there in the middle of it—he reads the news. And yes, his organization runs entirely on donations, which, as I mentioned, you can contribute to at LandMineRemoval.org. But despite all the noise, he stays focused on his goal—saving as many people as possible from death and injury caused by landmines in Ukraine. It’s a simple, clear mission—and he’s doing it.

There are distractions everywhere. The headlines scream for attention. Look at me! This is urgent! The world is ending! But Ryan doesn’t let that shift his focus. And that’s exactly why he succeeds. Who knows—maybe he’s frustrated by all the debates, or maybe he ignores them entirely. Either way, his goal remains unchanged.

That’s an important lesson, especially in times like these. We all have challenges, and no matter where you stand, there will always be an endless stream of headlines waiting to pull you away from your purpose.

I’ve thought about this before—about how reading the news can have different effects. You can become more informed and use that knowledge to your advantage. Or you can treat it as entertainment, which is what a lot of social media feels like—just endless talking, predictions, and zero action. Or, worst of all, you can let it stress you out over things you feel powerless to change. You see people reposting and resharing the same stories, spreading more anxiety but doing nothing about it.

Of course, ignoring your own goals can happen easily, especially with the sensationalist headlines from commercial news channels, some politicians, and certainly not just the current president. These headlines are designed to grab attention. But should they really be this relevant? Should they be derailing your life?

If something truly is that important to you, here’s a thought. Maybe it’s time to act on it. And here it is. 7em.link/congress. If something feels urgent enough to you that it demands action, one place to start might be to write a letter to your congressperson. All representatives are listed on a federal website, and you can find links to contact them. It’s easier to use this shortened link because the actual link to Congress is huge and complicated.

If it’s worth writing about, take the time to craft a well-formed, polite letter that makes your point and suggests a possible outcome. Personally, I’m a fairly regular letter writer, and when I feel strongly about something, I definitely write to my representatives. A lot of the time, I don’t get the results I want, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an effect. Every member of Congress, whether in the Senate or the House, is watching what their constituents are doing because, ultimately, they want to get re-elected.

If nobody writes, except one side of a particular view, lawmakers might think they can get away with anything on that issue and take it to extremes. But if you have a lot of people writing in with opposing views, it’ll influence how they act. So, whether your representative is someone you like, or even more so, someone you don’t, always remember—you have the ability to manage that to some degree.

You can write a letter, and 7em.link/congress will take you to where you can find your representative. If you’re unsure who they are, the site will help you identify them, and if you already know, it gives you the links to write to them directly. Taking action is a really important part of it.

But after you’ve done that, or even if you decide not to, the next step is to refocus on your goals and get on with your life. The news and social media are constantly trying to keep you engaged with their platforms, and that benefits them—not you. Venting on Facebook only helps Facebook, unless you’re offering a solution. But right before you started scrolling through social media, you likely had a goal in mind.

You were probably working toward that goal, focused on your vision. Then, some notification pops up, pulling you away from what you were doing. You get sucked into the hole. My advice? Turn off your notifications. I don’t get notifications on my phone. When my lock screen is up, there’s nothing.

Take time to revisit your vision, realign your goals, and get back to living your best life. This isn’t to say you should ignore the information you see in the headlines or the news, but if you’re not going to incorporate it into your goals and actions, then it’s just a distraction, pushing you off your path to making the world a better place.

While you might adjust your goals based on what you read, see, and hear, if your goals aren’t changing, then the news isn’t immediately relevant to you. And if it is relevant, update your goals and focus on what you think will bring you closer to the new life you want to create.

With so many dramatic announcements every day, it’s easy to get pulled completely off track and try to follow all the distractions. But unless you’re planning to start trading currency or buying commodity futures, I’d recommend just noting the news item and then moving along, staying on the path toward your vision.

Yes, it’s important to stay aware of current events, especially in our constitutional republic. We need informed citizens for it to function properly. But if you allow yourself to get trapped in the constant stream of drama, you won’t get anything done in your own life, and you won’t be in a position to help reduce the drama and make the changes you feel are necessary.

So, as always, live life with your vision in mind and set your goals to support it. As the world changes, your intermediate goals may need to shift as well—that’s just part of life. Most of the dramatic headlines aren’t as dramatic as they first appear.

People often ask why I generally stick to reading the newspaper for news and don’t go online. It’s because the newspaper, by its very nature, gives you a more complete view of the news. There may be developing stories in it, but it’s not filled with dramatic headlines. Instead, you get more background. If you want to go online for more detail, you certainly can.

But it’s not about the "look at me right now" context like you see on social media. Live towards your vision, stay aware of the world, but also remember to ask yourself: Is what you’re reading, hearing, seeing, or watching relevant to what you’re currently doing? If it is, then take action. But if it’s not, stay aware but try to avoid getting sucked into stressing about it. The best way to avoid stress is to act. And if you’re not going to act, then let it go for the sake of your health and well-being.

That’s it for the evening. Thanks so much for stopping by. As always, remember, there’s always stuff going on. For example, you can visit ukr7.com, where you’ll find links to donate to help the people of Ukraine. Another great organization is WCK.org, which helps in disaster-stricken areas worldwide—truly amazing work. And, of course, there’s LandMineRemoval.org. Ryan Hendrickson has been working tirelessly in Ukraine, removing landmines since the war started. He’s an incredible person—someone who did landmine removal during his military service and now continues it as a way to help others, which is incredibly selfless.

There are plenty of ways to give, including locally. There are always local charities looking for help, and even if you're not in a position to give money, please try to reach outside of yourself. If you see someone on the street who doesn’t seem to be in a good mood, or even if they are, just say hi.

Something as simple as that can make a difference. When you look outside of yourself, it changes your perspective on the world, and you tend to develop more empathy toward others. You always have the opportunity to make someone’s day better. You might not realize just how much positive impact you can have by paying attention to somebody else.

So, as always, thank you for stopping by. If you found something interesting or useful, please pass it along, and don’t forget to subscribe and hit that like button. If not, feel free to drop me a comment on what you’d like to hear. Have a great week, and remember to live the life you’ve dreamed of because that’s the path to true contentment.

Love and encouragement to everyone. See you next week on 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com. Thank you.