How many times have you been told, “don’t forget lunch,” or “don’t forget the birthday,” or how about, “don’t forget where you parked your car?” The world is full of negative messages and even well-meaning parents, grandparents, co-workers, or friends can innocently speak words of doom and failure into us.
Here’s the truth: our brains cannot properly decipher a negative. If you tell yourself what not to do, your brain really hears the action word and it will more than likely do that! When you or someone else says, “don’t forget_____(fill in the blank), your brain hears…forget! And there’s a good chance you will forget whatever it is.
Recently, when parking at my local airport, as I got on the elevator I saw a sign that made my day (and helped my brain!). The signs mounted on each floor of this parking structure read, “Remember Level Three,” “Remember Level Four,” etc. Whoever thought-up and had those directives prominently posted was on a much healthier wave length than others who are responsible for the typical signs I read in most public places. Most people and places always tell you not to forget!
It’s really simple once you get it. The well-known motivational speaker Denis Waitley calls it the “R2-D2.” In his best-selling book, “Seeds of Greatness,” he uses the example of a professional baseball player who typically tells themself where to hit the ball when they’re up at bat. Not where not to hit it! They have a much better chance of the ball going wherever their mind tells it to go. Guess what? Your life is the same way. Tell yourself what to do and start seeing positive results. Tell yourself to “remember” (this, that and all things in life). Always remember that your thoughts are way more powerful than you know.
