Brainwashing – the solution

In the first part of this post, we talked about how we’ve all been brainwashed into seeing the world in a negative light (or, more accurately, seeing ourselves in a negative light). The result of the programming is that we settle for a lot less than is good for us. We are disempowered. We acquiesce. We just go along with things as they are, without making a fuss. Governments love it when that happens, it makes life so much easier for them!

In this second part I’d like to give you a few ideas of how you can rebel against this brainwashing. Don’t worry, we don’t all have to meet up in Parliament Square with placards and megaphones and start marching on the seat of government. I think you know as well as I do that would be a waste of time. And we’d just be portrayed as a bunch of lunatics by the media people, since what we’re against is what they are a part of. No, the way to do this is on a personal basis. Each one of us needs to do some mental housecleaning to get all that nonsense cleared out once and for all. And as we make our own small changes, it will have an impact on society in general. It can’t not really, can it … if you start thinking in a much more positive way, and believing you can do just about anything (which you can, because you’re truly amazing!), this must affect everyone you come into contact with, right?

Imagine if everyone started thinking positively …

Can you imagine what would happen if thousands and thousands of people all started thinking more clearly all round the same time? If we all started to shake off the shackles of decades of negative programming? If we all started to feel empowered and able to do just about anything we had a mind to. My my, I’m getting a bit carried away here … I think I might be starting a revolution! Best be careful, ‘they’ will be taking this site down if I’m not careful, the way I’m carrying on. It looks like I’m inciting rebellion. Actually, all I’m inciting is free thinking, unemcumbered by all that negative programming that we’ve been subject to.

First, be watchful …

The first thing you need to do is become aware. Start to recognise the phrases you use, in both speech and thought, that are negative. Most of them will have been passed on to you in some way, but now you’re using them (and believing them), and in turn passing them on to other, younger, more malleable minds.

So make it a habit to stand watch over yourself like a sentry. Watch your thoughts, and your words. If you find yourself uttering negative garbage, don’t get upset over it or start judging yourself, just step back a little and watch … then replace that garbage with some of the good stuff! If you were on the verge of thinking/saying “I’d love to do that but I can’t afford it”, switch it for a positive but opposing thought, such as “I’d love to do that … and I’m sure I can find a way/find the money somehow.” If you notice that you’re thinking “Bloody cold … I ALWAYS get colds …” immediately change that to something like “Mm … a few sniffles … soon shake that off, I don’t have time for colds … I just reject infections and they go away pretty quick, or miss me altogether … ‘cos I’M HEALTHY!” And if you find yourself uttering those crippling words to someone, “You’ll never manage to do that, you’d need a degree in astrophysics to do something like that, you’ve got no chance!” … well, why not pull back from the brink and change it to something useful like “Hey, that’s a great idea! It won’t be easy, mind, and it might take a while, but I’m sure you can manage it”.

Become more aware of the media

Become aware of something else as well … the way the media tries to push you towards certain ways of thinking. Be aware, and challenge it. If you’re watching the news on TV and you hear ” … and statistically three out of four of us will have a heart attack by the age of fifty”, don’t just accept it … think something like “Statistically speaking, at least 75% of statistics are just a load of nonsense. I’m fit as a butcher’s dog and even if they reckon 99 out of 100 will suffer a heart attack by the age of 50, I’ll be the one that stays healthy … I won’t be swayed by media statistics … I’m healthy, and my heart is STRONG!”.

Even a few weeks of carefully watching yourself and what you say and think, and watching the media, can change your thinking for the better to a remarkable degree. And you can back that up by starting a habit of visualising yourself successful. And by successful I mean successful in whatever you’re doing, and including in health terms, and in financial terms, and everything else.

Make it a habit to see yourself doing things in a vibrant, energetic way, like you used to do as a kid, or a teenager. Maybe you don’t have quite the same flexibility anymore, or you have some physical ailment … okay, does that stop you mentally seeing yourself as fit, vibrant, and healthy? Of course not! You can think success, and it will happen. You’ll be healthier, happier, luckier, more attractive, more well off. Your thoughts, and the things you visualise, will tend to magnetise good things to be drawn towards you. And if all that sounds too new-agey for you, look at it this way – as you think positively and clearly visualise positive outcomes you will be more aware of all the positive opportunities all round you. You’ll see things that previously you were blind to. And people who can help you in various ways will feel that you need their help and companionship, so they’ll make themselves known to you. It’s just the natural attraction of like minds.

Use the ad men’s ‘tricks’

And if you’re going to visualise yourself in successful scenarios, then borrow the techniques of the ad men. Their companies have spent millions finding out what works, and what influences people most strongly. So use their methods! See yourself looking tanned and healthy, always smiling, always confident. See yourself being greeted by others, people who clearly recognise in you a great friend, a trusted companion, and someone to whom they feel they can safely confide. In other words, see yourself as you would like to be seen.

Also use the ad men’s tricks to make things more visually appealing, such as imagining scenes brightly coloured and well lit, and giving those scenes beautiful, exotic backgrounds. In other words, if you want to visualise yourself successful in business don’t just see yourself receiving cheques in the mail and going to the bank and being greeted by a smiling bank manager. Instead, see yourself dressed in a sharp suit and wearing a Rolex, chatting to your acccountant on the phone while you’re onboard your private yacht in Monte Carlo or Biarritz.

Play with visualisation ideas. See how outrageously successful you can see yourself! And if you hear someone congratulating you on making so much money so quickly, or running such a successful business, turn the volume up a bit, make it loud enough to really make you take notice!

You’ve had a lifetime of limited thinking. You’ve had brainwashing techniques putting the brakes on to such an extent that even your dreams and daydreams are shackled. Shake ’em off! Just feel the relief of doing whatever you want, and see how far you can make your dreams accurately reflect your actual desires. Remember, if you can reach your goals, you’re not dreaming big enough!

Do you see many ads that don’t use onscreen text? No, they virtually all do, and that means it’s effective! So use it. Imagine your scenes of success with text accompanying them. And make the text BLOCK LETTERS! And BOLD. Make those words and phrases look three-dimensional, like they’re carved from solid granite, or fashioned out of sleek, rounded glass. Make it a game to see how fancy and ‘arty’ you can make your visualisation scenes. These are, in effect, ads for YOU, so make them as effective as you possibly can, and see them as clearly as you can.

And use short, punchy, to-the-point phrases, like “I CAN DO IT! … I CAN RUN MY OWN BUSINESS! … I AM POWERFUL … I AM TRULY AMAZING … SUAVE AND CONFIDENT … NO LIMITS … etc”. See these words on your mental screen, flashing up, or scrolling across the screen … in vivid and colourful detail, and give it a good, rousing backtrack, anything that you find exciting or emotionally stirring or uplifting.

Remember, this is YOUR production, and YOU are the star. Make it great, and make it so good that you want to watch it again and again. And do just that … close your eyes for a few moments every so often and drift to your own private screening of your latest success ad. And make it an award winner!