By Bill Conley, Certified Life Coach
This morning, I was asked a question that has become all too common in today's hyper-polarized world: “Whose team are you on—Team Trump or Team Elon?” The person asking was expecting a quick response, maybe even a passionate defense of one side or the other. But I surprised and perhaps disappointed them by saying, “I’m on neither team.”
That’s right. I’m not on Team Trump.
I’m not on Team Elon. I’m on Team Me.
I’ve come to realize
something important about life, something many people overlook as they’re swept
up in the emotional whirlwinds of politics, media spectacles, and social media
tribalism: most of what we argue about doesn’t impact us directly. Not
in our day-to-day lives. Not in the ways that truly matter—our families, our
faith, our peace of mind, our financial well-being, or our personal purpose.
Why should I invest my energy, time,
or mental bandwidth into debating the character or motives of billionaires and
politicians whose lives, decisions, and environments are a world apart from
mine? I’m not in their meetings. I’m not in their private conversations. I
don’t see what’s really happening behind the scenes. So why should I pick a
team in a game where I’m not even a player?
What I do know is that my
emotional energy is finite. I only get so many hours in a day. I only have so
much focus and attention to give. If I waste it on things I can’t control, and
worse, on things that don’t even directly affect me, I’m robbing myself—and
those around me—of my best self.
There’s a myth in modern culture
that if you don’t choose a side, you’re weak or uninformed. But the truth is,
neutrality can be a powerful act of wisdom. Refusing to be baited into drama,
outrage, and division is not apathy—it’s maturity. It’s self-preservation. It’s
emotional intelligence.
So today, I’m inviting you to
reflect on a deeper truth: you don’t have to jump into every battle that
crosses your screen. You don’t need to take a side on every debate. You don’t
have to get outraged every time a celebrity or politician does something
questionable.
You can choose peace. You can choose
to protect your focus. You can choose neutrality.
Because in the end, the most
important “team” you’ll ever be on is the one that includes your faith, your
family, your finances, your mental health, and your future.
1.
The Myth of Mandatory Opinion
In today's world, everyone is
expected to have a take. The media demands it. Social media thrives on
it. Peer groups push for it. But the truth is, having a strong opinion about
something you don’t understand or can’t affect is not a virtue—it’s often just
a distraction.
We’ve been conditioned to believe
that staying “informed” means scrolling through endless headlines, reacting to
every controversy, and weighing in on every public feud. But much of that
“information” is spin, speculation, or outright manipulation. Why build your
identity on shaky ground?
When you join Team This or Team That
without first asking, “Does this really affect my life?”—you’re often
outsourcing your peace of mind to forces that profit from your emotional
instability.
2.
The Drain of Emotional Investment
Imagine having a bank account filled
with your emotional energy. Every time you argue about Elon Musk’s tweets, or
Donald Trump’s legal troubles, or what some talking head said on cable
news, you’re making a withdrawal. You’re draining your energy, your joy, and
often your relationships.
For what? Did it change your job?
Your health? Your income? Did it help your kids grow up better? Did it solve
your problems?
No. In fact, it likely created new
problems—anxiety, division, resentment, and fatigue.
You can’t change the world by
carrying its weight on your shoulders. But you can change your world by
choosing what not to carry.
3.
What Actually Impacts You?
Let’s simplify life. Most of us need
to pay our bills, protect our health, raise our kids, love our spouses, enjoy
our communities, and live with purpose. That’s the core of what matters.
Does Elon Musk's buying a social media
platform directly change your life? Does Donald Trump’s legal drama or
political comeback put food on your table or gas in your car?
If the answer is no, then maybe it’s
time to stop acting like those things deserve our emotional investment.
Focus on your career. Focus on your
budget. Focus on how you treat people. Focus on your morning routines, your
fitness, your faith, and your peace. That’s where your energy should go.
4.
The Mental Health Toll
Many people don’t even realize how
much their mental health is being crushed under the weight of constant outrage.
Watching political theater and celebrity drama daily is like eating fast food
for your soul—quick, addictive, and damaging long-term.
Anxiety. Anger. Irritability.
Hopelessness. These aren’t just side effects of a stressful life—they’re often
the results of feeding your brain toxic content that you think you have
to care about.
You don’t. You’re allowed to tune it
out. You’re allowed to focus on what uplifts you. You’re allowed to be selfish
with your peace.
5.
The Power of Saying “That’s Not My Fight”
It’s OK to say, “I don’t know enough
about that.” It’s OK to say, “That doesn’t affect me.” It’s OK to say, “I’m not
getting involved.”
In fact, it’s powerful.
It’s powerful because it means
you’re reclaiming your attention, protecting your values, and refusing to let
someone else’s narrative control your state of mind.
We often confuse neutrality with
weakness, but in truth, neutrality is wisdom. It takes strength to resist the
urge to jump into every argument. It takes discipline to stay in your own lane.
6.
Live Local, Think Practical
Here in the great state of Florida,
my days are shaped not by global headlines but by what I choose to do with my
time. I walk in my neighborhood. I serve in my church. I support my local
businesses. I love my family. I coach those who want better lives.
That’s where I make an impact.
That’s where my opinion matters. That’s where I can actually do something.
If it doesn’t affect your home, your
heart, or your hope—maybe it’s not worth arguing about. Let the world rage. You
stay calm.
7. The Media Wants You Hooked—and
Drained
One of the
hardest truths to accept is that the media doesn’t just want to “inform”
you—they want to own you. They
want your time, your emotions, your reactions, your outrage. Why? Because your
attention is their currency.
Every headline is
crafted to spark curiosity, fear, or fury—because those emotions keep you
clicking. The more time you spend glued to your screen, the more ads they can
sell. They don’t care about your peace of mind or mental clarity. They care
about engagement, traffic, and profit.
They want you
emotionally invested in celebrities, political brawls, scandals, and
controversies that have nothing to do with you.
They want their narratives to infiltrate your conversations, your
relationships, and your thinking. They want you coming back multiple times each day—tomorrow and every day—because that’s
how they win.
But here’s the
good news: you can opt out.
You don’t have
to play their game. You don’t have to be a pawn in their profit machine. You
don’t have to let them control your emotions or dictate your priorities.
When you choose
to stay neutral, when you choose to invest your energy into your life instead of their headlines, you reclaim your power.
You protect your peace. You walk away from the noise and back toward a life
that actually belongs to you.
8. Politicians Want You to Pick a
Side—Don’t Take the Bait
Politicians
aren’t much different from the media when it comes to strategy. They thrive on division, and they win when you
take the bait. Left versus Right. Blue versus Red. Us versus Them. They don’t
want unity—they want loyalty to their
team, regardless of whether that team serves your values or improves your daily
life.
But here’s the
truth: their fight is not your fight.
They don’t live
your life. They don’t raise your children. They don’t sit at your kitchen table
when bills are due, or walk beside you when you’re trying to find peace,
purpose, or joy. So why would you give them the power to shape your identity?
I was asked, “Whose side are you on?” My answer is simple:
I’m on the side of common sense.
I’m on the side of peace, integrity,
honesty, and doing what is right. I pick the side of what matters
most: my family, my faith, my mental health, and my personal goals. I choose to
invest my energy in what builds me, not
what benefits them.
Don’t fall for
the rhetoric. Don’t get dragged into their shouting matches or ideological wars
that only distract and exhaust. Stay true to yourself, to your
dreams, to your vision.
Live with clarity and courage. Make decisions that align with your core, not
their agenda.
Ignore the
noise from politicians, media figures, sports stars, and celebrities who think
they know what’s best for your life. They
don’t. Their world is not your world. Their fame doesn’t equal wisdom.
Their shouting doesn’t require your response.
You get one
life. Fill it with truth, purpose, and joy—not with borrowed outrage or secondhand battles.
Choose the side
of self-worth, integrity, and common sense. And never forget: when you walk away from
their divisive games, you walk toward a better, more authentic version of
yourself.
Conclusion
Life is too short to waste on
controversies that don’t belong to you. Every day you’re given a certain amount
of energy, and every choice you make is a withdrawal from that account. Spend
it wisely.
I didn’t sign up for Team Trump or
Team Elon. I didn’t join the outrage army. I didn’t volunteer to defend
billionaires I’ve never met or argue over headlines I can’t trust.
I chose peace. I chose to focus. I
chose to stay grounded in what matters most—my life, my purpose, my family, my
values.
That doesn’t mean I’m uninformed. It
doesn’t mean I don’t care about the world. It means I care more about what I
can control—and I refuse to let the noise of a chaotic world drown out the
quiet, powerful voice of my own mission.
You can do the same.
You don’t need to attend every argument
you’re invited to. You don’t need to choose a side in every cultural battle.
You don’t need to sacrifice your peace of mind to feed the 24-hour media
machine.
You can stay neutral. You can say,
“That’s not my fight.” You can protect your energy and spend it where it
counts—on becoming the best version of yourself, serving the people around you,
and living a life of purpose, clarity, and peace.
So the next time someone asks you
whose team you’re on, smile and say, “I’m on Team Me.”
And that’s the only team that really
matters.
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