Positive Exposure
Words are everything. With words we can declare war, propose to a loved one, or deliver a heart-felt sermon. Words move nations. The holy writings of the world are words. All the textbooks you have ever read are words. Your computer monitor displays words. Words are everywhere, they surround us. We use words to communicate with ourselves and others. Words can motivate us, "One Nation, Under God..." or can bring us down, "Today President Kennedy was shot..."
Since words are such a large part of our lives and have a profound effect on us, it is important that we surround ourselves with positive words. This will uplift us and help us do our best.
Negative words, whether spoken or written, are dangerous. When we talk to ourselves, or about ourselves, we should make sure that our talk is positive. For example, many people say things such as, "My life is going nowhere, I'm broke, I have no opportunities..." To them, it may seem as if they are simply reporting the facts, making an observation, or stating the obvious.
When we say things about ourselves, those things are registered as fact by our subconscious mind. Whether or not they are valid is irrelevant. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between fact and fiction, right and wrong, or good and bad. It simply stores data like a computer.
Therefore, when we say negative things about ourselves, those things tend to come true. We can program ourselves for failure. BUT, since saying positive things about ourselves has the opposite effect, we can also program ourselves for success. So, a more productive approach to living would be to say positive things about ourselves.
I often tell clients, "You can use hypnosis every night as you go to sleep, but what is MUCH more important is how you talk to yourself during the waking hours of your day." You must talk positively about your present, your future, and yourself. We all accidentally say unproductive things about ourselves, but we must catch ourselves and re-word those phrases into something positive. We should also be careful of WHO we surround ourselves with. Are there people in your life who bring you down? Who don't believe in your potential? Who consistently talk you out of reaching higher? Who want you to "play it safe for your own good"? Exposure to those people needs to be minimized or eliminated. Avoid negative people and negative conversations and you will soon find your mind drifting toward positive ideas.
Now, if you really want to master this positive exposure concept, you can even control what you watch on TV, listen to on the radio, and read in the paper. You must become picky about who you allow to put information in your head. Find a good source of information and even then limit your exposure to it. So much of our negative programming comes to us through the media. We passively watch and listen, but our subconscious mind records everything. I rarely watch television, but I was watching TV recently at a gym. I discovered that the networks have managed to train people to have anxiety on cue. I believe the Pavlovian-style stimuli were called level yellow, level red, etc. The TV now tells us how anxious we should be based on information that we cannot verify. How interesting...a box can ruin our day and cause us to think negatively about our lives and our possibilities. My advice is to control the box. We are certainly more mentally powerful than a box.
Newspapers accomplish the same goal, raising our anxiety level, by displaying tragedy as headline news. What about all the people who had a wonderful time on the beach in Santa Monica today? Why isn't that on the front page? What about the flower in a vase on the windowsill of a beautiful house? Why isn't that on the cover of the LA times as the lead story? Does that sound absurd to you? That a flower would be the headline news? Who would buy a paper like that? Maybe a handful of people. Not many. We have been programmed to feed on all of the anxiety offered by the media. People start to look forward to the next anxiety- generating story...someone was shot, someone stole something, some group of angry people is hurting another group of people...and on and on it goes...this steady diet of anxiety. Take control of what goes in your head.
I am not suggesting that we ignore the problems of the world. There are real problems going on which need our attention. I am simply suggesting that we find ways to protect ourselves from the constant barrage of negativity being aimed at us. The information is often valid, but packaged in a very harmful way. When we take responsibility for what goes in our heads, we can truly begin to live powerfully. In an airplane the flight attendant will tell you to put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others. I am suggesting the same. Clear your mind of all the rubbish being aimed at it, by yourself and others, and then you will be better able to live your life on your terms and help others.
If I can be of further assistance in helping you see your true potential, feel free to listen to some of the products I have designed to move you forward in your life by feeding your mind positive and productive ideas...allowing you to overcome negativity.
Have a positive and powerful day!
Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/
