Positive Mental Imagery:
Positive Mental Imagery
By Joan King
IN THE ENCHANTED STORY OF The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her dog Toto had many adventures traveling the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City of Oz where dreams came true. Her companions, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodsman and Scarecrow, believed the Wizard could grant their wishes.
The Lion wanted courage, The Woodsman a heart, and the Scarecrow wanted brains. They already had those qualities, but they didn't believe they did.
- The Wizard gave the Lion a special potion of courage to drink. He told the Lion, "Drink this and you will be filled with courage." The Lion then didn't fear anything.
- The Wizard filled a silk heart with sawdust and put it on the Tin Woodsman's chest. The Wizard told him, "Now you have a heart any man would be proud of." The Woodsman then felt tender and loving.
- The Wizard stuffed the Scarecrow's head with a mixture of needles, pins and bran and declared, "I have given you brains. Hereafter you will be a great man." The Scarecrow believed the Wizard and felt very wise.
It turned out that the Wizard was an ordinary man, but extraordinary because he used the power of suggestion to change their lives by changing their beliefs about themselves and the way they saw themselves.
Each one of us has an inner Wizard who is powerful and capable of making our dreams a reality using our gifts, dreams, visions and passions. We also have a fictional self that acts, feels and performs in accordance with what we believe to be true about what the world expects of us.
Here are three Universal Laws to understand how the mind processes suggestions into your belief system.
- The Law of Concentrated Attention
Energy flows where attention goes. When you repeatedly concentrate your attention on an idea or belief, it tends to become true for you. This is how we develop habits.
- The Law of Reversed Effect
The more you think of NOT doing something, like eating hot fudge over ice cream, the more likely you are to do it. Your imagination always wins over will power and conscious thinking.
- The Law of Dominant Effect
A suggestion is more effective when it is combined with a strong emotion. When you feel that you are already successful, you pull that energy into your life. Your mind will focus the energy that comes from your heart.
Creating what you want in your life requires being mindful. Whether you want to perform better in sports or academics, increase your business, or improve the quality of your life, you can program your brain for success with positive thoughts and images.
Use imagery to create your dreams. Imagery is the art of making a mental representation through the use of your senses. From infancy, we have learned by processing information and stimuli through our five senses of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. Each of us has a dominant sense that we use to interpret information, understand instruction best, and access peak performance. In your inner mind, use imagery to sense yourself working or playing, confident, calm, relaxed and in control. See, hear and feel yourself accomplishing your goals. Experience how good it feels to accomplish your goals. Enjoy your success!
Doubt and fear sit like shadows behind all your thoughts and dreams. Release the fear and doubt by anchoring a feeling of certainty in your mind, heart and soul. It is time for you to believe and know the powerful and successful Wizard that you are.
Joan King CH of Jupiter is the founder and president of Positive Mental Imagery, a mental sports
consulting service dedicated to helping golfers achieve their peak performances.
King can be reached at (561) 747-7276 or by e-mail (Joan King). Her Web site is pmi4.com
Personal Excellence Magazine
March 2003
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