DO NOT Read this post!

Oh no! You are reading it! Let me make an educated guess why. It’s the Forbidden Fruit Effect.

You see, the subconscious mind thinks in images, not in words. Words such as “NO”, “NOT”, “DON’T” and “NEVER” do not form strong images in the subconscious. For this reason prohibitions often have the opposite effect.

Let’s do a quick experiment. Form a mental image of the phrase “DO NOT steal!” and note what image you are holding in your mind. Now form a mental image “Behave honourably!” or “Be happy with what you have and can earn honestly!” Have you noticed a difference?

Now form the mental image of “DO NOT kill!” and then of “Live and let live”? What do you see in each picture? Which one makes you feel better?

How did you represent the words “DO NOT”? As a big red cross over your other image? Something else? Regardless of how your did it, that image in the background probably still works as a magnet for your thoughts. This is the reason telling people NOT TO DO something often has the opposite effect.

Whenever you issue an instruction or a command either to yourself or other people, your kids etc condition yourself to state it in the positive for better results.

Feel free to comment about your experience with this.

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