"What's On Your Mind?"

All day, every day, our minds are bombarded with messages.  Movies, 24-hour news channels, talk radio, videos, commercials, television programming, friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, emails, conversations of which we are a part, and those we hear around us--all play continuously as the background noise in our lives.  Have you ever stopped to consider the tone and impact of the messages received by your brain on a perpetual basis?

There are numerous studies supporting the fact that subliminal messages DO, in fact, affect our thoughts and behaviors.  Our brains are stimulated by sight and sound.  Brain scans reveal that we often record messages that we are unaware of having seen or heard.  And we all know that everything our brains take in, stays there--forever.  Even suppressed memories can be uncovered through hypnosis and psychotherapy.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, our brains are consistently being programmed by what we see and what we hear.  And those messages are affecting our attitudes, our moods, our values, and ultimately, our choices.  So isn’t it in your best interest to control your brain’s exposure, as much as it is possible to do so?

Consider what is coming into your home via your television screen, your computer monitor, your stereo and car speakers.  Does your T.V. stay tuned to a news channel?  They are notorious for covering the same stories over and over again throughout the day.  Abducted and murdered children, celebrity divorces and recurring stints in rehab, campus shooting rampages, rapes, wars, etc., etc.  Have you ever considered the damage you may be doing to your psyche to hear the horrors of the day being played on a continuous loop in your mind?

Movies and video games are noted for exploiting violence, each pushing the previous limits aside in an attempt to out-do the other and go further than has been gone before.  Our children, and even ourselves, are being desensitized to seeing people shot, stabbed, strangled, raped, and mutilated.  Study after study has proven a correlation between exposure to violence and aggressive/violent behavior.  And we are all familiar with the countless examples of generational abuse.  Children often learn to be violent by watching violence around them.  And yet, we continue to invite it into our homes through our televisions and computers!

Violence is not the only negative impact of the messages swirling around us.  The conversations, attitudes and behaviors of those around us, are also a part of what our brains take in everyday.  Are you spending time around people who are upbeat, positive, who share your values, and who support you in your efforts to achieve your goals?

Or, are those who share your days gossiping about one another, obsessively following the latest sensational murder trials and the various exploits of the “celebrity of the day”?  Are they “poor old me” people who concentrate on what is wrong with their lives, rather than what is right?  Do they talk about their troubles or their blessings?  Do they lift you up and support you, or try to keep you from advancing yourself?  Do they encourage you or do they demean your dreams?

“A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

                                                                                                                            ~ Proverbs 12:26

It is imperative that you purposely, deliberately, seek to surround yourself with as many positive, upbeat, inspiring, confident, motivating and cheerful messages as you possibly can.  Keep your mind open to the possibilities in life, rather than the limitations.  Turn your radio station to soothing music, or turn it off and have a conversation with your Creator!

Limit the time you spend with negative people and seek out friends who support your values, your goals and your dreams.  Read books, articles and watch programs and movies with happy, inspirational themes.  Occupy your mind, your time, and your thoughts with activities and people who can promote healthy, “good-for-you” thoughts and feelings.  

Conduct a self-check each day and ask yourself, “What’s on my mind”?  If you don’t like the answer, then change the channel!

“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper.  Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.”

                                                                                                                             Philippians 4:8

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