I was brought up to believe the glass is half full. I have lots of memories of my mum singing ‘Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life’ to me and my sister as children, which
probably accounts for my relatively sunny disposition. My mum used to talk to us a lot about the
power of the mind – mind over matter and all that - so I’ve always had an
interest in this kind of thing.
One weekend when I was 14 and well and truly in the awkward
phase (braces, pre-GHD frizzy hair, spots) my mum took my sister and I to a
wellbeing exhibition at a local sports centre.
At the end of the day we attended a talk by Uri Geller – the man who
bends spoons, with his mind…
The talk was based on his book ‘Mind Medicine’ and I found
the whole thing fascinating, but something which really resonated with me,
which I wanted to share with you, was a technique he spoke about which I’ve
used ever since (sadly I’m not talking about the spoon bending, though that
would be a great party trick). The
technique I’m referring to involves visualising a TV screen (bear with me) and
it has done wonders for my self-esteem and helped give me a confidence boost at
times when I’ve needed it most.
I’m going to use a personal account to explain the
technique. I went away to a very
theatrical boarding school for sixth form.
I was so excited to go there as I loved drama and was really interested
in media as well, which the school was very well known for. From
the first day, I felt that all the other girls at the school were far prettier,
more talented and generally far superior to me. Initially I’d really wanted to get involved
with the amazing productions the school put on but my self-esteem wasn’t up to
much and the other girls were so incredibly confident that I shied away from it
all. Then in my final year I decided I’d
go for it and audition for one of the shows.
This audition involved singing in front of loads of my fellow students
in the school theatre and that was petrifying.
It makes me feel slightly nauseous thinking of it now, all these years
on.
Uri Geller’s technique was very simple – all you had
to do was visualise a giant TV screen and imagine yourself in a given scenario
on the screen. In this case, I imagined
the TV screen and visualised myself singing the song I’d prepared. On the TV screen, I was calm and confident
and singing well. I really focused on
how I wanted to feel in that moment. This process not only helped with the
nerves but also enabled me to really imagine myself doing something that a year
earlier would have filled me with dread.
I did the audition and got in the show and loved it. It was a huge boost
to my confidence. The TV screen has
helped me through countless other situations such as first days in a new job,
interviews, first dates, confrontations, getting through a gruelling work out
(that one doesn’t happen often), meeting new people etc.
I can still remember the sense of empowerment I felt
after this talk. I felt really excited
and it was a real ‘light bulb’ moment for me.
It was the feeling that, with the power of my mind, I can achieve
anything. It is the perfect kind of tool for me to use,
as I’m a daydreamer with a vivid imagination, so it’s something that really
works for me. In an age where we pick up
so many pieces of information and advice on a daily basis, it’s rare, I think,
to find something that really stays with you like this. I’ve used this technique ever since the Uri
Geller talk and I really hope that if you’ve got this far reading about it,
you’ll give it a go. There are no limits
to what your mind can conjure up and no limits to what you can achieve so get
visualising and reap the benefits!
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