Garbage In, Garbage Out

When you are walking, do you believe that your brain has to think about which foot to move first? Not on your life! That procedure becomes an unconscious act, better known as a HABIT. We all have habits. Some are good, while others are not good at all.

While at a networking conference, the speaker had us do an exercise where he told us to clasp our hands together with our fingers interlaced. Then he had us look at our hands to see which thumb rests on top, the right or the left. He had us do it several times, and repeatedly the same thumb appeared on top. Next, he asked us to re-clasp our hands with the other thumb on top and see how it felt. It was oddly uncomfortable. His explanation was that the first way, the “natural” way, was an unconscious act (e.g. a habit). The second was a conscious act, where the brain had to attempt to break the habit. I found that exercise quite interesting, and to note, I saw a similar exercise in the book Psycho-Cybe
etics (Revised Edition) by Maxwell Maltz Foundation and Bobbe Sommer.

At some point in time, you may have been labeled negatively. You heard it over and over and over again, and you came to believe it, and then began to live it. As a child, I had serious vision problems. I was slow in learning and my attitude was not the best. In school, I was labeled as a “discipline problem.” I took that to heart and became a discipline problem.

Many years later, after I failed the driver’s vision test, it was discovered that I was going blind. Fortunately, contact lenses had become available which halted my vision problem. Itntook, however, a three year stint in the U.S. Army to make me realize that no one can make me feel inferior without my consent. I later found out that was a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. Boy, do I agree with her!

You’ve heard the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” I had to start to re-program my brain! I had to delete all of the negative programming and replace it with positive material. Itndefinitely takes time, and I’m still working at it, but in the end, it is well worth it! Along the way, I came across a helpful quote from Normal Vincent Peale that I continually remind myselfnof: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”

Habits may be hard to break, but they can be broken.

Start with your thumbs, then work your way up!