Changing pictures

Not long ago I attended a leadership course at work and stumbled upon a very useful piece of information. Quite simply put, it said we think in pictures. When we hear a word, we immediately think of a picture. Something we’ve come to associate with that word over the years. For example, if I hear the word Red, I think of a red apple. I hear the word invincible, I think of Superman. Apple, iPod. You get the gist…

So like every good course, we were given some time to reflect on some of the associations we had formed and how they were affecting our life. The first one that came to my mind was the word Fat.

As soon as I hear the word I come up with feelings like ugly, undesirable, hurtful, condescending and the like. I thought to myself, this really brings me down, gets me in a very defensive zone and maybe that explains why I come across as a aggressive. So I decided to identify the images that came to mind obviously resulting in these feelings. I wasn’t really surprised at what I came across.

Earliest memory was when my grade two teacher refused to pick me for the annual day dance event because I wasn’t the same size as the rest of the kids. Then a comment here and there while growing up saying “don’t put on any more weight or you won’t look nice”. Then the refusal to let me participate in a sports team. The assumption was that I wouldn’t be fast enough and my team would lose. Worst of all, a boy telling me “If you were thin, I’d have asked you out in a heartbeat.” That sent a message loud and clear that me being a certain size (Fat) was not a good thing.

Now that I knew what was causing the feelings and the attitude I felt empowered to change them. I’m trying to replace those images with that of a gorgeous person that is quite simply overweight. Someone who is voluptuous and blessed with assets others need surgery for… ;). Did you know fat is important for brain function too? So I guess, I’ll add a picture of someone who is quite intelligent too. Fat is a word that quite simply describes a certain shape now.

Of course, a belief formed over 28 odd years cannot change overnight. It takes time. I still get upset at times. The important thing is being aware about what you want to change and working on it. I immediately catch myself slipping back, I remind myself of the new images and almost instantly I'm in a better place.

Next time you’re not happy about a certain thing just try changing the pictures in your mind…. You’ll be surprised… J