“Don’t eat junk”, “Don’t sleep late”, “Don’t be stuck to your gadgets all the time!” These are a few of the many things we keep reiterating to our kids, hoping they understand the consequences of these actions and the importance of listening to us. Little do we know that our brain does not understand the word “don’t,” and can’t process it. For example- if someone says don’t think of a pink elephant, that is exactly what’s going to come to our mind, A PINK ELEPHANT!
Telling ourselves or someone not to do something firmly instils the idea in our brains instead, likely encouraging us to do it anyway. You are more inclined to do all those things simply by telling yourself not to. Instead of getting caught up in the frustration of repeating the same mistake, its essential to formulate another game plan. We have to rewire our brains to approach these moments differently; to restructure and nurture the mental pathways that will sustain our wellbeing and put us back on the road to success.
The key is to replace “Don’t” with “What you WANT.” Go straight to what you want your children to think and do in an affirmative manner, focusing on what you want them to achieve. Focus on the positive, not the possible negative. It’s simply how our minds are wired. Eliminate that one four-letter word and you’ll start to achieve more of what you want in life.
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