Brainwashing is a good thing.
Brainwash: make someone adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure.
The words brainwashing is considered negative. Like “You’ve been brainwashed man!” (Say that with a surfer accent for greatest effect).
Brainwashing is saying you no longer have the choice or it means the way you think was forced on you. You were manipulated. And well… it is true.
But if you brainwash yourself with inputs that are created by people who want you to achieve great things, it is good brainwashing. With the proper brainwashing, who knows what we can achieve.
My Brainwashing
I began washing my brain in 2010 when I got my first audio book. It was The E-Myth by Michael Gerber. And since then I have been reading and listening to self help/business books. How many books is that? 140 audible, 119 on kindle, and 60 or so actual books. Some of these books I have read more than once.
Listening to these books is a daily thing. Everyday I am exposing my mind to the thoughts and ideas of these authors.
The inputs created and received will shape you
Inputs created are the stories we tell ourselves. One story goes like this: “I failed. I should have done this differently and that differently.” Very counterproductive. A better story is: “I failed in a grand way because I took risks and put myself out there. I became more known than I was three weeks ago. My grand failure is only a stepping stone to bigger and better failures. I wanted this pain. I chose this pain. This pain makes me feel alive.” Yes that is a much better story.
Inputs received are the inputs we expose ourselves to. Inputs and sensory information. This includes: sounds of nature, sounds of industry, people yelling, audio books, podcasts, reading, watching a movie, watching a show. The list goes on. All of this is coming at us and we process the information to be included in our story. AKA brainwashing.
Brainwashing has a negative connotation to it because it has a dark side. Many of histories bruises are due to brainwashing. Hitler is probably a good example. Hitler brainwashed millions of people to follow him into WWII. That was probably a bad use of brainwashing.
But isn’t everything a form of brainwashing. In my previous blog post I talked about storytelling. How do you think these stories are formed in our minds? Stories are formed from brainwashing. Because as kids we identify ourselves with all the inputs coming at us. I know there are certain cultures who take advantage of this. And rightly so. Why not mold young supple brains into something that could take over the world. This would be an interesting experiment.
The point of this blog post is to reward you for listening to something that is intended to improve you. An example is a self-help book. If you have a commute, listen to one. Listen to what it has to say but don’t feel forced to take action unless you feel compelled to. That is key. You are listening to it because you want to. You are choosing to allow the information into your subconscious. Again, If someone forces you to do it then a wall is erected. So this is your choice. You made the decision that you are going to listen to an audio book. You decided you are going to improve yourself. You made all of the decisions. You have complete control of the situation. You can turn it off if you want. You can skip sections if you want. You can listen to it at 1.3 speed If you want. The choice is yours.
Now go get brainwashed.
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