By Patrick Robinson

In a time of "instant" news and revelations, it's tempting to want to stay at the "crest of the wave"... that Fear of Missing Out is powerful.

Driven by that ancient part of the brain, that lower level emotional response, that "fight or flight" reflex it's a natural human response.

But I want you to think.

And by that I mean STOP and consider. Use your higher mind, your intellectual capacity to WEIGH and not just CONCLUDE or RESPOND out of reflex.

Most of what we regard as wisdom, good practice, good guidance, and just plain common sense is NOT propelled by instant reactions to news or events.

VERY LITTLE in life requires you to "duck" or jump in a foxhole. Or maybe more importantly, offer your instant opinion. The truth is, news outlets are not always correct and tend to present information designed to hook you and keep you so they can show you an ad. That's the business model. Social Media is similarly designed to hijack that primitive part of your brain.. that reward center... you want more "Likes" don't you? The approval of others is so terribly important.. but that's just not the truth.

Take time to think about what you take in, who or where you hear it and don't worry about being on the crest so much.

There will be another wave along in a few seconds.