E.R.: End Of An Era

I just found out tonight is the finale of the television show E.R.  That show occupies a very special place in my life.

For a period of time in the late 1990’s, E.R. was the one show I had to watch.  I had been watching television about as much as most Americans do at the time…maybe a bit less.  I was also in an entirely different place in my personal development, which is a nice way of saying I wasn’t anywhere near the kind of man or person I am today.

I remember one of the first times I turned on E.R..  It captivated me.  The drama, the development of the characters, the action, the medical terminology being thrown about.  I found it amazing, and inspiring.  I wanted to be like these characters, flaws and all.

And though I didn’t have the words to say it at the time, I’m sure the reason why is that I was in such a state of lack in my own life.  I had become stagnant in every sense of the word, afraid to take risks and let out the genius each of us has inside.  E.R. was my chance to live vicariously through these bright, intense people.

A funny thing happened along the way.  Around the turn of the century I began to start getting more involved in self-development books and programs.  I found Jim Rohn, Wayne Dyer, Steven Covey, Tony Robbins.  And I found an author who later become a personal friend: John Milton Fogg and a book that was a turning point: The Greatest Networker In The World.

I got involved in a network marketing program and got seriously immersed in personal development.  And as I did, a very interesting thing happened.  I started losing interest in E.R.

In fact, not only did I lose interest, I actually started finding myself being offended by the show.  I didn’t liked having my emotions manipulated by the constant stream of blood and tragedy.  I stopped being interested in snooping on the lives of physically beautiful, emotionally broken doctors and nurses.  I found I had my own life to tend to.

And I shut the TV off.  Just about completely.

Funny….a couple of years ago I was traveling cross country on a plane.  Guess what show was on the in flight entertainment?  E.R.  It was fascinating to watch the triggers the show used to press the buttons of the watcher.  Instead of being offended, I found myself in a state of gratitude for having “escaped” from the programming the show was writing into my subconscious.

Now I am not telling anyone else what to watch or how to think.  E.R. served an important role in my life.  It was an upgrade from the mediocrity I had allowed myself to fall into.  And everyone is entitled to whatever entertainment that works for them.

Even though I would really like the extra hour of sleep, I’m going to tune into the E.R. finale tonight.  I would like to see how the characters developed (I hear they’re bringing back some of my old “pals.”)  And more than anything else I’m curious to see how I will respond now, based on who I’ve become.

Here’s my invitation: Take a look at what you take in to your consciousness from the outside world.  Is it serving you?  Is it inspiring you?  Does it make you feel better?  Does it fill your head and heart with stuff that holds you in a place of lack?  No right or wrong here…we each choose for ourselves.

I’m looking forward to my walk down Memory Lane…right back into the hospital.

Your Pal,
Larry

P.S.:  You can get just as much inspiration from a high school softball game or middle school band concert as from the most polished artists we know.  It’s about the striving…the emotion and the dedication…as much as it is the execution.

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