Breaking Free of Mental Programming

Reversing the negative feedback loop.

Mental programming, aka conditioning, belief and being “set in your ways”, affects everyone everywhere.

Most of us would never consciously choose to be limited… to limit our options and thoughts and potential. And yet we do so, unconsciously, unknowingly, and unintentionally, daily.

Biological Feedback Loops

In biology, the key difference between positive and negative feedback is the response to change: positive feedback amplifies change while negative feedback reduces change.
SOURCE: Albert.io 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Audio Article: Breaking Free of Mental Programming
• Conditioning
  • Synonyms for the Concept of Mental Programming
• Mental Programming
  • The Invisible Chains of Conditioning
• Freedom Begins with Awareness
• Breaking Boundaries of Mental Programming
• Check Your Brain Health

Associations, Assumptions and Beliefs

We are all running on operating systems installed by our associations, beliefs and assumptions.

The degree to which mental programming constricts your life and creativity is the extent to which you are unaware of its control over you, or, unwilling to change it.

Training the Elephant

We’ve probably all heard about how an elephant is trained to be restrained by a chain that it could easily break. The elephant is trained from infancy to know that the chain binds it. The conditioning is so complete for so long that as the elephant grows, it never thinks to question or oppose that which keeps it bound.

It accepts what the training as real, though what was real for the baby elephant would not hold true for the grown elephant.

It’s the same with our beliefs. We are conditioned to believe in the personal and cultural constraints that keep us from becoming all that we can be.

Most, never break free of that. Creatives, are more likely to for we live on the leading edge of different. And yet, many creators also labor under the smog of mental programming that skews reality.

If you’ve ever heard any of these — or similar — terms, you’ll understand this mental programming.

Common Mental Programming Amongst Creatives

• Starving Artist
• Tortured Artist
• Writer’s Block
• Creative Block
• I’m not good enough
• My art isn’t good enough
• I can’t get an publisher
• I can’t get an agent
• It’s hard to make it as an artist
• I’m too old to…
• I’m too young to…
• I don’t know how to ________

The Path to Freedom from Mental Programming

Freedom begins with the awareness to probe and question your indoctrinations. Be they religious, political, societal, financial or about your perception of your health and personal abilities.

To break free is to first become aware that we are a product of our environment; that much of what we think — our construct of reality — is the result of outer input imprinted into our psyche. To become aware begins with questioning our assumptions.

To create a new life means to push the boundaries that keep us from reaching the next level we aspire to. Begin by questioning what is holding you back and why.

Ask Yourself

• What limiting thoughts run through my head?
• What beliefs no longer serve me?
• If this belief (whatever is holding me back) didn’t exist, what might I do?
• What is an old story I often repeat to anyone new?
  • Does it uplift me or keep me bound?
  • Is it an excuse for why I’m not yet where I want to be?
  • Is it something from my past that has no business in my future

When it come to addictions and addictive behaviors, there may also be hidden hormonal and physiological imbalances — from gut health to brain health — that can alter our persona. These we will touch on at the end of this article, for they are also important to consider.

Conditioning is the invisible prison of mental programming that can keep us trapped in limited thinking.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

AUDIO ARTICLE: BREAKING FREE OF MENTAL PROGRAMMING:

The Definition of Conditioning is:

• The process of training or accustoming a person or animal to behave in a certain way or to accept certain circumstances.
• A process of changing behavior via reward or punishment.
• Behavior modification by which a subject comes to respond in a desired manner to stimulus.

Synonyms for the Concept of Mental Programming

• Alter
• Behavior modification
• Beliefs
• Bias
• Classical conditioning (learning through association)
• Conditioning
• Convert
• Convince
• Indoctrinate
• Influence
• Instill
• Limited thinking
• Memes
• Mindset
• Narrow minded
• Pavlovian conditioning
• Perspective
• Persuade
• Program
• Relativity
• Stinking thinking
• Tenets
• Thoughtforms

Definition Source: Google and Dictionary.com

Conditioning

Not all conditioning is negative. Some programming is necessary for survival and functioning in society. Societal norms in polite society for instance, are needed to create acceptable context for people to interact with people in decent, humane and mannered fashion.

Every culture has its norms, and some might be opposite. For instance, to burp loudly at the table may be considered by most to be rude in the US, whereas it’s expected in some Asian countries and considered a tribute to the meal and the cook.

Confusing Conditioning

Cultural conditioning can also be confusing though, and we are at a crossroads of some of this now where societal norms are being challenged by younger generations. Norms such as “respect your elders”, “don’t question authority”, and “what will people think”, aren’t embraced by younger generations as much as with their parents and grandparents who grew up in an era where that was automatic and assumed.

As times change, there are conflicts between the old and new as older ways that might be antiquated are cast aside, leaving generational communication gaps. Children are still squeezed in between conformity couched as “what will people think”, typically introduced by their parents, and peer pressure to “fit in”. (Until this is reversed and the children as teens are embarrassed by their parents). ?

Meanwhile, for older adults, increasingly, the message is to be yourself.

As with many things, there’s no one way that is right and the other wrong. Rather, there is truth and benefit in it all. Our task then as adults, is to discern the conditioning that serves us and that which doesn’t. To do so requires self awareness and an openly inquiring objectivity.

Breaking free of limiting conditioning is essential to becoming more of all that you can be.

Positive Programming

Mindset training is an example of powerful and positive programming essential for reinforcing our aspirations and determination to achieve our goals and dreams. The power of visioning is proven to be highly effective when employed daily and followed by action.

From elite athletes, to actors like Denzel Washington, to highly successful entrepreneurs and CEO’s, visioning creates the blueprint which is then constructed and reinforced through goal setting, focus and action.

Negative Conditioning

Negative conditioning is a shroud of mental programming that filters our reality and traps us in limited thinking.

Once you begin to unravel the layers of conditioning constricting your life, you become increasingly aware of the extent to which it is limiting you. Impressions, thoughts, reactions and decisions are all a part of your conditioning.

Conditioning impacts the way we experience life… and we are all operating through layers of conditioning. However, not all conditioning is negative. Some is necessary for survival and functioning in society.

Most people live their entire lives completely unaware of the degree to which they’re influenced by the indoctrination of others.

However, no matter your mental programming in life thus far, and no matter at what age, changing limiting conditioning is essential to becoming more of all that you can be. Living a rich life begins with breaking free of indoctrination and societal memes that negatively influence you from the outside in.

Remember to question yourself and your assumptions, and you shall continue to grow and delight in discovery.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Mental Programming

The Invisible Chains of Conditioning

If you were born on the other side of the world, a radical muslim, you would be conditioned to believe that Christians were infidels to be hated and even annihilated.

You would be conditioned by your environment and indoctrinated from birth as to the truth of these tenets. And so for you, it would be true, and that belief would condition all that you think and do.

Conversely, if by some time warp of the universe, you—the same soul and body—were instead born in the US in a Christian family, you would be raised to believe, with every fiber of your being, in the tenets of the Christian bible. You would be conditioned by your environment and indoctrination from birth as to the truth of these tenets. And so for you, it would be true, and that belief would condition all that you think and do.

Same soul… same body… but polar opposite beliefs, each negating the other. Only by virtue of mental programming and environmental conditioning, living completely different realities.

My daughter was born on the other side of the world but raised here, so we actually have an example of some of that kind of extreme contrast and you can find more on this article on rose colored lenses.

I understand that these are sensitive topics. We tend to hold our beliefs near and dear to our identity. In fact, often they form and inform our identity. However…

If we are to continue growing in consciousness, we need to push the boundaries of belief that may be limiting our lives.

We are bound by invisible chains of conditioning.
Conscious awareness is the key that sets us free.
~LeAura Alderson, iCreateDaily.com®

Freedom from Mental Programming

We’ve probably all heard about how an elephant is trained to be restrained by a chain that it could easily break. The elephant is conditioned from infancy to know that the chain binds it. The conditioning is so complete for so long that as the elephant grows, it never thinks to question or oppose that which keeps it bound.

It’s the same with our beliefs. We are conditioned to believe in the personal and cultural constraints that keep us from becoming all that we can be.

Most, never break free of that. Creatives, are more likely to for we live on the leading edge of different. And yet, creators also labor under the smog of mental programming that skews reality.

Freedom begins with the awareness to probe and question your indoctrinations. Be they religious, political, societal, financial or about your perception of your health and personal abilities, To break free is to first become aware that we are a product of our environment.

To create a new life means to push the boundaries that keep us from reaching the next level we aspire to.

Freedom begins with the courage to question ourselves and our beliefs. Become the curious child and ask, ‘Why?’ Keep on asking ‘Why?’ All the days of your life keep growing and learning.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Certainty Versus Inquiry

Certainty and Inquiry are on opposite sides of the same seesaw. To keep learning and growing we need to hop on for the ride. We can stand in the middle on the fulcrum, barely moving while watching them buck the seesaw between the rigidity of Certainty and the flexibility of Inquiry.

To probe our certainties is to discover greater meaning and new possibilities.

Breaking Boundaries of Mental Programming

As you mature, you have more freedom to explore, discover and decide your beliefs from the inside out and to question what doesn’t make sense. The challenge is that as we age, we tend to become more rigid, more fixed in mindset and more “set in our ways”.

There is a difference in becoming confident and definite, while remaining open to growth. We can become definite about our purpose to grow and evolve. We can become definite about change.

The moment we say, “I’ve never been…”, or “I can’t…”, or “Those people are…”, and other limiting beliefs, we close the door of opportunity and turn away from the possibility to learn, grow and understand. We turn away from the chance to love as well, because with understanding comes compassion and empathy, and with that comes greater love.

Live the life of your choosing, not of your conditioning… creating yourself from the inside out, begins with awareness.

Do not become set in your ways. Buildings are set, concrete is set, but people?  We are living organisms destined to grow… all the days of our lives.
~LeAura Alderson, Cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®

Check Your Brain Health

Now that we’ve examined ideas around mental programming, it’s important to conclude with a consideration of the health of your brain itself.

Just as we all have invisible conditioning that automatically informs and affects everything we do and think, without our even being aware of it, so too can our brain function.

A healthy brain aids in the functioning of all that we do. An ailing brain may actually impede our best efforts.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional challenges, it may be that they need a brain scan over a therapist, first and foremost.

We highly recommend you take the 15 minutes to listen to Dr. Amen on brain health. It could change your life or that of someone you know… or perhaps even save it.

“When the deep limbic system is less active, there is generally a positive, more hopeful state of mind. When it is heated up, or overactive, negativity can take over.”
~Dr. Daniel G. Amen, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

No More Limiting Beliefs

What if you awakened today with no limiting beliefs? No past traumas… no ill health holding you back… no ill will or hurt for or from anyone? What if your mind was filled with possibility and gratitude, enthusiasm and joy?

You would be lighter, happier and more free to CREATE today… to laugh and love and rejoice and be grateful for the blessings you do have.

Let’s, shall we?

Get Gratitude.

The Day is the Way.

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