How To Free Yourself From Mental Slavery

By Mark Weeks

By Mark weeks

Napoleon Bonaparte once wrote, ‘The human race is governed by its imagination.’ I’m pretty confident in stating, he believed the majority of people possessed poor imaginations. And, for many people today their imaginations are still not good government. The ‘imagination’ quickly becomes a dictator, and an unnecessary instrument for their own failings.

By not using your imagination positively and creatively you run the risk of being enslaved by it. Imagination has a tendency to run out of control, more often than not culminating in poor self-image and lack of confidence.

The good news is, it’s easy to take control of your imagination if you focus on it. It’s a scientific fact that the brain and nervous system cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is vividly imagined.

The first step in freeing yourself from mental slavery, and the most important, is to imagine the outcome you want and not what you don’t want. Why? Your brain tells you what to do in the future based on its knowledge in the past. And, the only way to see the future is through the power of your imagination.

You have to have the courage to break the cycle. None of us know everything, so why should the past be a reflection of your tomorrow?

Too often, people don’t exercise the control they have and allow their imaginations to destroy their potential – because they picture situations in the past where they have failed. They’re simply not using the power of visualisation to their advantage. Instead of bringing the past into the present you must practice bringing the future into the present.

That last sentence needs to be repeated – I think one of us needs to make it into a meme too

Instead of bringing the past into the present you must practice bringing the future into the present.

I like this short exercise I came across years ago …

Think of a car. Your mind will quite naturally see a car quickly, but it will probably be a hazy picture. If you were asked to describe the car properly you will refocus, because you’re giving clearer instructions. Most likely you will describe your own car. That’s the way most of us tend to respond in life; from our own experiences of the past.

Our minds get by on the minimum of effort, after all, they have a lot to contend with throughout the day!

But, if you desire a car, and have set your heart upon obtaining it, you must see the type of car you want down to the last detail.

At the next opportunity go into a show room, sit in the car of your dreams, take in the smell of the leather interior and feel the steering wheel. Own the picture in your mind, ‘This car is mine!’ If possible, go for a test drive. You might be surprised that you notice more of your cars on the road, once your subconscious mind is truly activated.

Try using this approach to the things you desire – but, be careful what you wish for:)

You may have come across the science known as NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming, first developed by scientists Richard Bandler and John Grinder. It’s a powerful methodology on visualisation, and I urge you to either re-visit or learn the techniques and utilise them over time.

What you feed your mind is critical to your success and happiness. And, the place to get the ball rolling and building momentum is through visualising a better tomorrow. The German writer Goethe said it best, ‘Before you can do something, you must become something.’ It’s as simple as that. You must be and act, before you become.

Allow yourself time every day to visualise, imagine and concentrate on what you want in life. Life is far from perfect, but trying to work some type of visualisation into your routine is a must. I tend to do better early in the mornings before I start my work day.

I also find time for a longer meditation on Sundays, which I incorporate into my weight training sessions. However life is working out for you at this moment in time do your future self a big favour and believe in a better day tomorrow. Five minutes a day now will reap a brighter future.

In my Amazon best seller – Soul of a Dream Catcher, set in worn torn Italy in 1948, Peter urges Emiliana to stimulate her imagination. Here’s a couple of lines you might relate to …

‘So, what would you do? Come on Emiliana, let your imagination go.’

‘Hmmm … you know I’m no good at this sort of thing. That’s why I leave the dreaming to you.’

‘Please try, everything ever achieved starts with a dream.’

‘I can’t, I just feel silly,’ she pleaded.

Peters voice strained a little, ‘If you can’t even imagine a different life how will you ever get one?’ Feeling tired from her continual lack of imagination he added, ‘If you keep on doing the same thing every day of your life, you’ll keep getting the same thing, over and over again.’

‘Okay, okay don’t go on, I get it,’ she said angrily, though refusing to admit she did not get ‘it’. ‘I don’t want to end up like my mother … there, I’ve said it. I don’t want to end up sad and lonely, being a slave to the whims of others. I … I want to prove to her life goes on outside of this bloody village.’

Peter finally got the reaction he was looking for and prodded further with sadistic delight. ‘Maybe your mother is happy. Have you ever asked her?’ He tormented.

Take away lesson: Only you can free you from mental slavery.

You might enjoy some of our latest posts on conqueror.blog or azuni.blog too.

If you need a little help with some direction in your life, get in touch for an initial free chat/email – mark@urconqueror.co.uk

Thanks for letting me into your corner of the Universe.

Keep conquering yourself,

Mark:)

P.S. You might like this post on anxiety from our Conqueror Blog

Mark Weeks

Author | Publisher | Copywriter | Mentor