For some, ignorance may be bliss; but for young professionals (YPs), not knowing what’s going on in the world can be professionally damaging, personally impeding, not to mention socially embarrassing. Whether or not current events are your thing, keeping up with the news is a must for all successful YPs. It’s true that taking in too much CNN can potentially turn even the most upbeat YP into a pessimistic mess, but with the right daily dosage, news consumption can be a productive part of the your routine. Here’s the why and how:
Obvious icebreaker
We all know that having some basic knowledge of current events is helpful in a variety of social situations, but here’s a little reminder: Unless you want to be caught conversing about the weather (ugh), or worse, in an awkward silence due to being outta the loop, it can be extremely helpful to have a few notes on hand regarding recent worldly happenings. Of course, it’s best to keep things fairly light, avoiding the major political or religious conflicts of the day (and your heavy personal opinions on such matters), but most topics of the cultural variety (like those found right here) make for useful friendly fodder. The next time you’re prepping for a social function, grab a paper or do a quick click-through of your preferred online magazine and arm yourself with some useful news.
The world beyond yourself
For YPs, it can be very easy to become wrapped up in our own personal and professional circles; we just spend so much time there. Taking some time to read and/or watch the news allows us to resituate ourselves within the big wide world. Reminding ourselves of our humble existence can help provide perspective about the plight of others and allow us to learn to appreciate all that we have. Such knowledge can also motivate us to get involved with causes that matter to us. The news is not just a melting pot of sad stories, but also a source of information about what needs to be fixed and changed in our world.
Life lessons
There are some YPs who choose not to partake of the news simply because it is so often filled with incredible negativity. While it is true that what is shown on TV, online, and in print these days can be truly shocking and disturbing, such things still deserve a degree of our attention. Learning about the gruesomeness of our world serves an important purpose: to help teach and reinforce what society deems right and wrong. Just as erring humans try to do, we must all recognize and reflect upon the mistakes of our society if there is to be any hope of such terrible things not being repeated. If you are a sensitive YP who tends to avoid the news, consider looking at each story as a type of narrative instead; fables intended to teach us valuable life lessons. On those days when the disaster and dread seem to be all too much, taking this perspective can be helpful.
Customized news
Not all news is bad news! Making current events a part of our daily doings need not be such a dire affair. Thanks to the Internet, we have an endless supply of all kinds of news. If good news, news about cats, financial news, or news about sports is all you’re after, you can easily put the blinders on and dive right in. Of course, coming into your next networking event with the latest headlines from Modern Cat may not serve you as well as those from Maclean’s, but it’s certainly better than nothing.
Cover Photo Courtesy Of: Life Magazine
