We just turned off our cable.  Ahhhh… I feel like a dieter who’s successfully removed all ice cream and cookies from the house, and while munching on baby carrots is feeling refreshingly good, I’m still wandering in to the kitchen après dinner, hunting for the sweet stuff!

The experiment, Savvy Aunties

We are exclusively relying on Netflix to bring us our home entertainment a la the screen.   Although we haven’t worked our way over to Nip Tuck or Living Lohan (is that a Que possibility yet - I’m not even sure), we just might.  After the carrots and grapes (The Bucket List, and The Moses Code were our health food this weekend) lose their luster, we are prepared to get lured back to the white flour and sugar of Reality TV and B-Movie Comedies. 

The nice thing I’ve found is that I can have just one cookie when it comes to TV.  It’s taken a change in relationship, but I’ve learned that the whole plate has me feeling low, not to mention a little sick.

And, like most things in life, a little won’t kill you.

I decided to write about this, Savvy Aunties, because TV is really powerful at creating company and sucking the creativity, not to mention connection, out of us. Single, with no date or fun plans tonight? TV will put it’s arm around you on Saturday night and whisper sweet nothings. For h-o-u-r-s.

A study published in the Economist in 2007 reflected research confirming our dysfunctional relationship with TV. “America takes the couch-potato crown, with households goggling at the box for an eye-straining average of 8 hours and 11 minutes every day.” As Savvy Aunties, we’ve got more important aspirations than being crowned a couch-potato princess, don’t we? We can’t model that for our wonderful nieces and nephews!

Savvy Auntie Jill gets her groove on

For instance, take a look at my client, ‘Jill’ – a Savvy Auntie to her sister’s two beautiful children, whom she adores.  Jill and I started working together and the focus was on looking at how she was approaching her life as a single woman who was ready for a healthy, long-term partnership.   To get her started with a healthier foundation, we deleted some phone numbers from her cell that were ‘no longer serving her,’  and we took a look at some outdated beliefs and limited ways of thinking.   We also changed her relationship with TV.  This was front and center in her life, and she called it.   She knew right away that she needed to change her TV habit.   What happened?  Her energy soared:  she exercised more, she spent more time creating in the kitchen which she loved doing.  Jill swapped the time that was spent in front of the TV and now spent it reading, reflecting, and visioning - all excellent ways to connect you to yourself, create presence and focus on positive outcomes.

So…let’s get real, Savvy Aunties.  Cable got you down? It just might.  Don’t fear!  You can make changes in baby steps.  Set some time boundaries - 30 minutes a night - a certain show or two - and leave it at that.  You can still indulge, it’s OK.   I guarantee this: you will find that some amazing things unfold the more you get away from the tube and get to starring more in your own savvy life.