avatarBill Abbate

Summary

The article discusses the impact of external influences on our lives and the importance of taking control through conscious choice and positive self-affirmation.

Abstract

The article "How Outside Influences Affect You" delves into the myriad of external factors that shape our thoughts and behaviors, ranging from advertisements and social media to personal relationships and media consumption. It emphasizes the necessity of becoming aware of these influences to regain control over our lives. The author suggests practical steps to limit negative exposure, such as reducing television and radio time, and advocates for the use of affirmations to reinforce positive thinking and personal growth. By actively choosing what influences us and engaging in self-directed affirmations, we can counteract the adverse effects of external conditioning and cultivate a more fulfilling life.

Opinions

  • The author believes that while we are constantly bombarded by influences, we have the power to choose which ones affect us.
  • Many common influences, such as television, social media, and advertising, are seen as detrimental to our mental well-being, likened to "chewing gum for the brain."
  • Positive influences, including loved ones, faith, and prayer, are highlighted as beneficial for shaping our character and perspective.
  • The article suggests that affirmations are a potent tool for influencing the subconscious mind and improving self-esteem and thought patterns.
  • The author recommends actively reducing exposure to negative influences and replacing them with positive ones, particularly through the practice of morning and evening affirmations.
  • The author asserts that taking control of what we allow into our minds can significantly alter our disposition and overall life experience.
  • The article encourages readers to take responsibility for their mental diet, much like they would for their physical health, to foster a positive and self-determined life trajectory.

Inspiration and Life

How Outside Influences Affect You

Taking back control of your life

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

How aware are you of the many daily influences that impact your life? Fortunately, we can choose to tune in or tune out most of them, but their effect on us is undeniable. These influences affect and shape our lives in many ways, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the not-so-good.

The many influences in life

A few of the many things that exert influence on us, whether we want them to or not, include:

  • Advertisements on the radio, on television, in newspapers, in magazines, on the internet, and on billboards
  • Social media, such as FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, and many others
  • Television shows, radio talk shows, news programs, and podcasts
  • Practically everything found on the internet, including the two largest search engines, Google and Youtube
  • Movies, newspapers, magazines, and books
  • Social gatherings, church, people at work, and the many other relationships in our lives
  • Email, junk mail, spam, and other such forms of communication
  • The government and politics

While that is quite a list, I am sure I missed some. What would you add? Each of these influences, while subtle at times, affects how we think and our views on life itself.

Life has some good influences, such as those you love and care about, some of those you call friends, the Bible, prayer, and church. What are some additional positive influences in your life?

What about the numerous other influences? I often refer to many of them as chewing gum for the brain. They include such things as most television shows, the constant bombardment of advertising, and social media. This chewing gum for the brain is like food loaded with sugar that decays our teeth only it decays our minds. Add to this the many desensitizing influences found almost everywhere. These include sexual innuendo, violence, morally reprehensible subjects or suggestions, and other such things.

All of these good, bad, or innocuous influences affect our conscious and subconscious minds with their never-ending assault on our senses.

“It is only through your conscious mind that you can reach the subconscious. Your conscious mind is the porter at the door, the watchman at the gate. It is to the conscious mind that the subconscious looks for all its impressions.” Robert Collier (1885–1950)

Taking control of influences

With so many things influencing our life, what can a person do? While we can attempt to avoid much of this influence by turning off the television and radio, you can never escape everything. But you do have the power to limit your exposure!

For example, I have cut out much of the clutter that seeks to influence my mind. I do this by limiting the amount of television I watch — especially television news. Additionally, I cut out most talk radio with all of its contentiousness. Some years ago, my wife and I dropped subscriptions to the local newspaper and many magazines. This cutting has partially restored my sanity!

While we can do much to control outside influences, no one can completely avoid all of them. That is, unless you live so far from civilization you lose all contact with the outside world.

Look at the average person and the years of conditioning that happens through media and advertising exposure. It steadily bombards us for decades affecting our thinking considerably.

“Just as you are unconsciously influenced by outside advertisement, announcement, and appeal, so you can vitally influence your life from within by auto-suggestion.” Grenville Kleiser (1868–1935)

Autosuggestion and affirmations

As suggested in Kleiser’s quote, one way to take back and restore who you are is through autosuggestion. You are in control when you choose to influence your subconscious mind with what you allow as input. Why not try doing it by using affirmations.

Affirmations are simply positive statements you can repeat to influence your subconscious mind. Yes, there is some confusion about affirmations, with people making outrageous claims about what they can do. However, when used correctly, affirmations positively influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, helping you in your life.

Affirmations are especially useful in counteracting the constant deluge of outside influence. They can help those of us with low self-esteem and negative thought patterns. They refocus us on the good and positive, away from the bad or negative.

“The first thing each morning, and the last thing each night, suggest to yourself specific ideas that you wish to embody in your character and personality. Address such suggestions to yourself, silently or aloud, until they are deeply impressed upon your mind.” Grenville Kleiser (1868–1935)

I start each day by reading the most life-affirming book ever written, the Bible. This habit has helped me enormously over the years. I know of no better source for positive affirmations than this book.

My natural inclination is toward the negative. The more “junk” I allow in my life, the worse I get. Therefore, I have largely removed negative influences through years of feeding my mind positive thoughts.

As Kleiser suggests, feed this positivity to yourself at the beginning and end of each day. You will find your day carries this positiveness into it. When you go to bed with good thoughts, it helps you sleep better and awaken more refreshed.

“An affirmation opens the door. It’s a beginning point on the path to change.” Louise Hay (1926–2017)

The longer you practice thinking positive and uplifting thoughts first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, the more you benefit. When you make it a habit, other people will soon notice the change in your disposition!

“Affirmations are like seed planted in soil. Poor soil, poor growth. Rich soil, abundant growth. The more you choose to think thoughts that make you feel good, the quicker the affirmations work.” Louise Hay (1926–2017)

Affirmations should be kept simple and memorable. Simply repeating them a few times each morning and evening, you will become pleasantly surprised at how quickly you begin to change. Rather than give you my affirmations, which change over time, I suggest you reach down inside and create your own. They are your affirmations and are as individual as you are. You need to own them. Don’t struggle to try to come up with affirmations. They will come to you naturally as you seek them.

“Our brain is continuously being shaped — we can take more responsibility for our own brain by cultivating positive influences.” Richard Davidson (1951-present)

Final thoughts

Unfortunately, too many of us passively allow outside factors to influence our minds and never consider the possibility of taking matters into our own hands. You have far more control than you realize.

“You are being programmed all day, every day. You can’t stop it, but you can determine if the programming is positive or negative.” Randy Gage (1959-present)

Take control of what you let in your life while using affirmations to affect your conscious and subconscious thoughts. As you eliminate the negative and control the positive, you influence your thoughts, heart, and character. This will affect you to the core of who you are and who you are becoming.

Why not work to master your mind? You have an entire life to learn how to do so and to practice what you learn. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and the benefits are substantial!

Pay heed to the following scripture as you move forward in life. Take it to heart and become active in creating the life you want!

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7a KJV

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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