Your Mental Pictures: What Do You See?

Rhonda Byrne, in her book, "The Secret" states that every person is a magnet and that we all attract to ourselves what we think about most. A student whose dominant thoughts revolve around "I will fail the coming exams because no matter how hard I study I don’t understand these subjects" - that student will certainly fail. His/ her self prophecy will, no doubt, be fulfilled.

Poor peasant farmers who have struggled all the years and still cannot feed their families, make ends meet, afford farm inputs and are unable to send their children to school may see themselves as perpetually poor. Such farmers have thrown their hands in the air and have literally given up. Because of these deep-seated thoughts and mental pictures, such farmers will continue to attract into their lives more poverty and misery.

Rich men and women, on the other hand, think and see in their mental pictures: joy, happiness, success, love, more income, fat bank accounts, more investments, successful businesses, expensive cars, holiday resorts, gorgeous spouses, delicious cuisines, smiling friends, bigger and better houses, expensive schools for their children, perfumes for their spouses, expensive medical facilities and many more wonderful things. Because that is what they think, dream and believe in, that is exactly what they attract into their lives.

Henry Ford once said, "whether you think you can or you think you can’t: either way you are right!" We therefore think ourselves into the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If you think you can, you therefore can and you will do it. If you think you can’t do it, then you cannot and will not do it. It doesn’t matter whether it is in social, academic, economic or political arena. Whatever you think you can do and believe you can – you will do and achieve it.

When we look back at our individual lives, there are numerous examples where we have succeeded, sometimes when odds were against us. This is because we thought and dreamt that we could. We were so determined to do so. And we did! That same magic that applied then can work again today or tomorrow. Thinking is the centre-piece of achievement and success. This philosophy is corroborated in The Bible which in Mark 11:24 states thus: ". What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

What are your dominant thoughts? What mental pictures do you see in your mind? Whatever your dominant thoughts and the mental images that such thoughts evoke - that is what you will attract into your life. If your dominant thoughts are about abundance, love, happiness, achievement, affluence and success you will be successful, wealthy, happy and joyful. But if your dominant thoughts are deeply entrenched in poverty, disease, anger, envy, malice, retribution and joblessness you will attract those and many more misfortunes into your life.

The Wright brothers dreamt and clearly saw in their minds the picture of a flying machine. They bequeathed to the world the flying machine: the aeroplane. The aeroplane has gone through tremendous modifications since then but still retains the major design features which the Wright brothers dreamt about. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. He saw in his mind a world connected - people talking to each other while separated in space.

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. In spite of failing more than 10,000 times, he persisted, because, he saw in his mind, exactly what the light bulb would look like and what it would do. Prof. Yunus has established Grameen Bank which is lending money to the poor and widows thereby bringing smiles to otherwise marginalised sections of society in Bangladesh.

Examples highlighted above are just but a few among many where ordinary mortals like you and me have thought, dreamt, imagined, believed and achieved. The only way anything has ever been created/ invented is because one person saw a clear picture in his/ her mind. Visualisation is very important for achievement and success.

In Malawi, we face a broad range of challenges that are begging for answers. Such challenges include but not limited to: poverty, diseases, joblessness, under-development and many more. Only Malawians can make a difference in the socio-economic development of their beautiful country. We can use our brains and intellect to bring about change. We all have to think and dream deep and hard. Our thinking and the mental pictures that such thoughts evoke will bring about creative solutions and release us from perpetual poverty and misery.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative forces at play, in our country. In offices, political parties, parliament, businesses, organizations, clubs, villages, schools and families; what we see and hear are negative, negative and more negatives. Envy, malice, hate, intolerance, backstabbing, doubt, fear, pull him down (PhD) syndrome and many more. We can’t build a successful and prosperous nation with such a negative landscape. We must all embrace love and a positive mindset. The negatives are an unnecessary baggage that keeps us down.

Like attracts like! Because of the negative environment in which many of us operate, we continue to attract misfortunes unto ourselves. These misfortunes manifest themselves in numerous ways including: more poverty, disease, unemployment, under-development and many more.

Even if you are poor and hungry today, you can change your circumstances. You don’t have to continue to be poor and hungry. Many of the rich among us will confirm that if you are focussed on your objectives, positive mindset, love, positive emotions – good people, circumstances and positive opportunities come your way. Such people, circumstances and opportunities bring to you money and abundant wealth often in miraculous ways. Keep your eyes wide open and do maximize on the opportunities, people, circumstances and situations that come your way.

Think, imagine and believe yourself being well fed, living in a big house of your dream, driving a car of your choice, having a lot of money in your bank account, and enjoying all the good things in life – that is what you will attract to yourself. Every day keep thinking and dreaming about such abundance, bliss and affluence. It will help tremendously if you write them down and define all the things you want. Every morning and evening review the list; think, dream and believe that you will get all of them. Go further, begin to imagine and feel as though you already have received them. You will attract the same unto your life.

Some readers will have already started doubting and asking questions such as: how does one begin to think and dream of a big house when one is living in a small grass-thatched house? How does one begin to dream of ever driving a car of one’s choice when one cannot even afford a bicycle? With all the debts I have, how do I even begin to dream of having a house of my dreams? How will it happen? This is impossible! This is day-dreaming!

The answer is simple: please stop using phrases like: impossible, I can’t, and any other such negatives. Quit doubting. Such doubts and negatives attract misfortunes into your life. These are the ones that have kept you down all these years. Listen again to the wisdom of Henry Ford: "whether you think you can or you think you can’t: either way you are right!" Opportunities are unlimited: depends on your thoughts. Embrace self-belief and a positive mindset. Change from thinking about what you don’t want and what you don’t have. Begin to think, dream and believe that you can have the things you want in life.

What are your dominant thoughts? What mental pictures do you see in your mind? If you think and embrace love and positive emotions, feelings and mindset you will attract into your life more love, happiness, joy, and wealth. If your dominant thoughts are entrenched in negative things, you will continue to attract to yourself more poverty and misery. The choice is yours.