Mental Mindsets: The Power of Suggestion
The power of suggestion is an extremely powerful tool for those who know how to use it. I have heard a lot of the motivational speakers say that if you want something bad enough, keep thinking it will happen and eventually it will. The power of suggestion can trigger or completely change a mental mindset in most people. A mindset is basically just a way of thinking about yourself and the world around you. The power of suggestion can change a negative mindset into a positive mindset. It can be used to make people believe that they are in love – but that is a whole other article. The power of suggest can make a well person sick, a sick person well, a rich person poor, and a poor person rich. You only have to believe.
There have been studies done on making people think they are sick. An example of this is asking a person if they are feeling ok followed by “you don’t look so good” or something to that effect. Even if that person is feeling fine, it puts the thought in their mind of “maybe I am coming down with something” and that person is usually feeling kind of crappy by the end of the day. The power of suggestion can work in positive ways also. If you see a coworker who is looking a little on the down side, maybe just tired or grumpy, and you walk up to them and say “Wow! You look amazing today! Have you lost weight?” or something to that effect, chances are that you just brightened their day. If you compliment the same person another time or two during the day, then by the end of the day that person is going to be walking with their head held high.
You can use the power of suggestion on yourself and have positive or negative results, depending on what you are trying to achieve. When you are getting dressed in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror before you leave and say “Damn, I look good!” Then as you go about your day, repeat the phrase whenever you see your reflection. If you continue to do this, then you will have more self confidence and you can influence the people around you. Likewise, if you start your day by saying “I look crappy/fat/sad/tired/sick/etc” then you are probably not going to enjoy your day. The people who start their day off with the negative self message are usually the people who have a negative influence on those around them.
The power of suggestion can be used to create a fantasy world for those who feel that they cannot cope with their reality. People who tell lies - pathological, chronic, habitual, or compulsive liars – often reach a point where they have told the lies so well that the power of suggestion takes over and they start believing their own lies. Their fantasy world becomes their reality, even though it is obvious to other people that things do not add up.
There are some instances where the power of suggestion is probably not going to help you. You can try to tell your boss what a hard worker you are, but they are probably not going to believe you if you do not show that hard work. The power of suggestion is highly unlikely to get you out of a speeding ticket, although many people have tried it and a few have probably gotten away with it.
My challenge to you is to try the power of suggestion (in a positive way) to improve your life and the lives of those around you. Even if you only try it for a day or two, you will see what a difference it can make.
