How is Brainwashing Changing Your Mind?

According to Cambridge dictionary brainwashing is a method of altering your way of thinking. Is it good? I am beginning to think it is...sometimes. 

Portland, Oregon has joined The Joy Team sign company and is putting up billboards with a positive and, according to the news, effective way to influence people's state of mind. One sign here in PDX is located on Sandy Boulevard. It says, "You are freaking awesome!"  I love that one so much.

The Joy Team uses this one on their website.

Seeing this sign every morning on a commute to work would have to make you smile and feel good about yourself, even if you didn't know why.

I took this picture of a cigarette display as I was walking through the airport in Denmark this spring. It stopped me in my tracks. EVERY package across that country has a warning like this. The user is prevented from seeing a different massage no matter where they go. That my friends is the definition of a brainwash. In this case, I think it is a good use of the practice.

Incidentally I took this photo in Denmark airport this last spring.

I liked that their warning was bigger than the logo on the package. Not only do cigarettes kill, they damage your sperm, ruin your skin and kill the people around you. If you were a smoker, those warning have to make an impression.

Are there bad or even evil uses for brainwashing? You can bet your life. News networks get inside our heads. We need to be very careful to watch all the viewpoints. The advertising industry has figured it out I think. But sometimes I need to say "yes" to a campaign or sign. How about you?

Have a wonderful day.

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What is the MIRROR telling you?

English: Woman at mirror, circa 1930s Item 78068, City Light Glass Lantern Slides (Record Series 1204-03), Seattle Municipal Archives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am not going to talk about wrinkles or face cream or even exercise here. But I am going to talk about the mirror and what we can learn from a good facing down with the person you see reflected there.

I am a fairly positive person usually. I have to admit that occasionally I feel the urge to pick life up by the scruff of the neck and give it a talking to. But that doesn't happen very often. I am grateful for that.

We are doing some construction around the park model and I have a lot of opinions that drive everyone else nuts. It is hard for me...poor me. I was stewing over things that were out of my control. I didn't realize how much I was fretting about it until I walked by the mirror.

See, when I am unsettled, worried or unhappy, the corners of my mouth turn down and I cannot get them to come up no matter how hard I try. My mirror does not lie and what I saw was a very unhappy woman.

There are other kinds of mirrors that are not made of glass yet reveal a lot about how I am feeling. My grandchildren can work mirror magic on me occasionally. If I frown, they frown. If I am content, they are quiet. If I am bunchy (need to go outside), they will ask for a walk. My little talking mirrors are wonderful creatures to have around.

Life may be a reflection of how I feel or at least that is always what I have thought. Because I believe that I have great power to make my life what I want, when things start to go wonky, I usually take a good hard look at myself. The question I ask is could I have brought this on myself? In many cases the answer is yes! 

So, as I age, I wonder if the negative people around me are that way because that is the way they are or because they are mirroring the way I am thinking. As a result, I am being careful these day to be mindful of my thoughts and how they are spilling out onto the lives of others.

What is your mirror telling you? Take a hard look and think about it.

As for me, I am fine now...my attitude toward life has improved and my mirror is happier too. Life is good...again!

It is just a thought!

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