Pink Elephants, Coffee, and Positive Imaging

At the beginning of last week I heard from my parents that a friend from South Africa is here in Nepal attending a week long conference with Room to Read. (As a side note I invite you to check out their website and read the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. They’re doing some pretty great stuff, and John Wood’s book is enjoyable, easy reading with a lot of great principles for getting things done and making a difference.)

I tried my best to get in touch with Chris but between internet and email trouble, and missed phone connections wasn’t able to arrange a meeting. After a couple of days I figured it wasn’t going to work to meet up, and emailed my parents to tell them so.

I got this message in reply:

Ok great -- now is a perfect time to use our positive focussed thought power, our prayers, and the beautiful and powerful law of attraction!

Now you focus on what you DO want....you and Chris meeting, shaking hands, then having a big hug, exciting conversation....or whatever you want! Now make your little picture or movie you are seeing in your mind in brighter colour, more clear, bigger, give it some great sound, even some smells (maybe you'll have a coffee?), bring it closer!

Don't think one more minute about what is not working or what you don't want to happen -- otherwise you attract what you don't want! Ha!

(your mind doesn't process negatives! For example, if I tell you, "Anita, Don't think about a pink elephant!" tell me what you are thinking about?

What picture do you have in your mind??! In other words, then what are you focussing on? What you don't want to think about?? Ha ha! You get what you focus on!

I burst out laughing and spent the rest of the morning thinking about pink elephants talking on the phone, meeting, and drinking coffee. Sure, I was using positive imaging, but the pink elephants kept creeping in too. At least it made me smile. And sure enough later in the day I made the connection and we had a great meeting.

I’ve never been super big on the whole “ask the universe for what you want” deal. But I have to say that positive imaging when combined with prayer and God’s will is a pretty powerful force.
And don’t forget the pink elephants :)