Changing You by Changing MI – Shortcut to Initiate Change

One picture equals a thousand words. Cliched yet powerfully true.

Let me start with a question (okay, I have already started but so what?). Which is the most famous image floating in the world currently? Did you shout Corona Virus? Then you got it absolutely right. Because even a two-year old or maybe less can identify the corona virus what with so many images of the virus floating all over the media space. Infact, my daughter recently saw some wildflower and immediately shouted out Corona. If not for the image, the corona virus would have been just any other virus lurking somewhere done to death with an antibiotic or a herbal remedy. But this ubiquitous image of the corona virus along with its notorious powers, has given it such international fame and recognition that other viruses can only dream of!

Each country has images associated with it. Mostly the National Flag and the most famous monuments. France instantly brings to mind the Eiffel tower for instance. Same holds true with each religion. Even famous companies have an image (called a logo) which contributes to their instant recall status. Think of Coca cola, McDonald's, Nike. The impact of an image can be understood from the fact that even an infant which cannot identify a written word can still identify an image.

About 70,000 thoughts on average in a day. That is how much the brain thinks. And the human brain is programmed to process images about 60,000 times faster than words.

And any guesses as to what could be the percentage of information transmitted in visual terms to the brain? It is a whopping 90%. That is how visual the brain is.

Now this is huge. In terms of memory, people remember 20% of what they read, only 10% of what they hear and almost 80% of what they see.

Now let us come closer home. When you think of your mother, immediately a mental image of a smiling, loving face immediately springs to mind. Right! When you think of your school/college, does your mind conjure up an image, mostly a positive one? When you think of your favourite foods, again an alluring image pops up. When you think of your friends, again a happy image of good times spent in the neighbourhood café. Thus, we can infer that every thought and word has an image either supporting it or associated with it. These we will name as ‘Mental Image’(Mi).

Now let us play a game.

Now think of the three most important things in your life. Let me present a list.

• Your relationship with self
• Your health
• Relationships with loved ones
• Relationships with friends and others
• Professional relationship with your boss and colleagues
• Relationship with money
• Relationship with the Higher Power/ God.

This is not an exhaustive list and you can include whatever else comes to mind.

Next, write down the first image that comes to mind on all these topics – shall we label it as the mental image?

Firstly, did you have an image? Most people when asked this question come up with a blank because they have never thought on these terms. Other times it is usually a negative image that is the first recall.

I have asked this question to many and on an average the answers would range from a total blank to vague answers to totally negative ones. The most common images associated with health were those of illness, reports, tests, grim diagnosis, pills. For finance the images were endless bills, endless payment reminders, loans lent and forgotten (by the borrower, that is).

Now you get the drift. It is understandable that we remember and recollect negative images.

But what is of definite concern is that the primary images associated with these key aspects of our life are so negative.

So, now that we are done with the first and most vital step of awareness of our images comes the more important task of changing them where they are creating more harm than good. This is the fun part.

The first step in creation is always a blueprint. An artist has some kind of a mental image of what his/her painting should look like.

Similarly, building a house requires an elaborate blueprint by the owner in tandem with the architect. The clearer the image, the easier it is to translate into reality. And a beautiful elegant home appears where once thin air was.

Brace yourself, for you similarly are the architect of your own life and have both the power and responsibility to create the best life possible.

Affirmations are positive thoughts or statements with power. They are used to instill positive behaviours, improve self-image and slowly and surely weed out negativity.

One of the earliest affirmations before the affirmation movement became big was and is ‘Every day in every way I am becoming better and better.’

Mental Image (MI) could be termed the visual equivalent of an affirmation. Used as an accompaniment, it can also support affirmation wonderfully well. It is that image that can powerfully add/enhance and kickstart your brain into action in the optimal direction.

Visualization is a like a movie where you see yourself performing a set of actions that achieve a certain desirable outcome whereas Mental Image is just a frozen snapshot that immediately reminds us of something.

Suppose someone were to be fighting a heart condition let us look at how can they use this system.

Step 1

Start with a regimen of affirmations, mental image and visualizations. These three can be combined to create a potent combination. This should go hand-in-hand with medication and conventional treatment.

Step 2:

Create an affirmation such as ‘I choose to heal you my heart. Blood flows easily. I am open to complete healing and ready to dissolve all the blocks. I deeply thank you for all the hard work you have put in all these years.’

Step 3:

This should be coupled with a mental image of a heart with its valves, chambers, arteries, veins and capillaries looking happily normal or a report from the Doctor with all the parameters looking normal. Take a printout of the one image of the heart which connects and see it enough times to convert into a mental image (MI) or, have a picture of a healthy heart and the words ‘functioning at 80% efficiency, excellent’ inscribed on it. The mental picture created should be one that completely resonates because the next time the word heart is mentioned that should be the first pop-up-image.

Step 4:

In the morning and night, while still in a state of slumber visualize the heart feeling healthy and happy. Blood is flowing easily. To lend credibility to this process some homework is essential. 3D videos on YouTube to get an idea of how a healthy heart functions serve as a brilliant visualization aid. This will create fodder for the imagination and make visualization realistic and easy.

This is absolutely the right juncture to let you in on a secret related to your brain. A secret that will lend validity to the above-mentioned steps.

Suddenly everything makes more sense, doesn’t it? But remember to do these two things for it to work well, really well and convert into reality

1) Remember to inject feeling into the whole process. Feeling is what will trigger your brain to secrete all those good chemicals which will set the ball rolling. Feeling is what will fool the mind into thinking that the event is happening right now.

2) Habit is nothing but repeated action. So, repeat the above-mentioned steps till it becomes a habit and the default mode.

This process holds good for everyone and everything. A sportsman who wants to achieve heights of excellence ( Infact a lot of sportsmen do swear by this method), someone who is working at improving their financial condition, a business owner who wants to expand and get into new territories, a pregnant lady, a teacher who wants to help her students, students who want to do well in their exams, a writer trying to make a mark, a person trying to heal themselves of their illnesses, a girl/boy desirous of attracting the right partner into their life. The list goes on and on.

Whether it be for a long-term or a short-term goal, it is equally effective for both.

Now time for some action. Time to get rid of the default thinking and mindfully create a new reality. This is where we put to full use our creativity, imagination and resourcefulness. It is best to use these to resolve a problem than to create a problem.

There are two approaches-

1. Using realistic images
2. Using metaphors

Which one you choose to use completely depends on what resonates with you.

Health:

If there is any particular organ troubling you for e.g. stomach issues, you need to have a mental image of a stomach looking beautifully healthy. Also, you could picture a report with all readings normal.

The second approach would have you using metaphors such as

- likening your health to the ‘radiant, raising sun’

- Seeing diseased cells being eaten by antibodies and white blood cells just as Pacman mercilessly devours the dots.

Money:

In the realistic approach, you could

• Picture a mental image of a statement from the bank and fill in the blanks with your dream figure.
• Image of you returning the money that you had borrowed.
• Image of you receiving the money lent.

Use metaphors and symbols to drive home the image

• It is torrentially raining money and opportunities
• Waterfall of money and opportunities
• My career is as sturdy and sound as a banyan tree with strong deep roots and widely spread branches signifying abundance.
• Ever-on fountain raining abundance of money and opportunities.
• Image of the source supplying you as a bottomless pit (of money, abundance, opportunities, creativity).

Worries:

• Image of worries getting sucked in a deep whirlpool.
• Image of troubles falling off an abyss.
• All my worries are getting flushed down the toilet.

Creativity:

An artist friend of mine once shared this, “As a child, I was an avid Enid Blyton fan and loved her Enchanted Woods series. I especially found the Faraway Tree fascinating where a tree had a door high up on its branches and every time you enter the door there would be a different world- some enjoyable like the Land of Birthdays and some challenging like the Upside-Down World. Every time I needed inspiration, the image of that tree and that door would pop up and immediately light up my imagination.”

'I am as limitless as the sky' is another beautiful metaphor for creativity.

Strength:

We need mental images for general inspiration and to provide strength and succour.

Your mental image for strength could be that of your grandfather who braved great odds to achieve what he did.

It could be a lotus which rises above the muddy waters, radiant and beautiful or its leaves which repels water and remains clean despite living in the muddy waters. Rising above all odds.

It could be of your favourite hero who obviously did what was deemed impossible.

Inspiration everywhere:

Once you open your mind, inspiration is all around - from nature to favorite movies, to even video games that you play.

Simple. The same way that the corona virus found itself in your head. Through constant, round-the-clock exposure. You are going to be your biggest news channel.

1. Keep a physical image/photo with you at all times. Paste one in all the key private places you frequent- your mirror in your washroom and bedroom, your work desk etc. Keep a photo in your wallet. Put that image as the wallpaper on your smartphone and your laptop.
2. Look at it several times a day. As soon as you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night are a ‘must and should time’. Make it a habit to see it at your coffee/tea times and every time you eat anything. Literally feel that along with your food this is also getting into your system.
3. For some people it happens sooner, for others later. But just the act of repeating this process will ensure that the day will come when you close your eyes and the image that you have worked at ingraining into your system will pop up independently on its own. The connection is established between the image and the aspect that you are trying to work on. Yippeee!!

We are an overworked generation juggling jobs, family, personal interests. So, any simple method is always welcome. Using this positive mental image (MI) method can really help as a shortcut to get things up and moving fast.

Let us keep the genie of the mind busy with positive mental images of our choice so that it doesn’t latch onto random harmful images in the general environment.

Use this method to create beautiful mental images and thereby easily initiate the process of creating a beautiful life. May the journey begin now!