GIGO - Garbage In…. Garbage Out….

GIGO - is a phrase that started in the computer science field. It was used to call attention to the fact that if you input faulty data into the computer (Garbage In) - - the computer will out put faulty data (Garbage Out)

Seems to me that GIGO is not just about computers but also about our lives.

It sounds to me like the Law of Attraction. “Like attracts Like”

If I am thinking about negative things (Garbage In) that is the signal - the vibration - I am sending out to the Universe (Garbage Out) and I will get more negative thoughts and things going on in my life.

I’m talking about this today because a reader wrote me and asked this question - -

“I have just read your book and I am really impressed. I find that I’m a deep thinking person who can be negative and now I’m trying to change my thinking ways. I have a question - I like to sing and often sing the last song I heard on the radio. A lot of these songs are negative but I don’t really think about the lyrics but just sing the tune. As it is only a song and I like the tune would the negativeness of the song affect me. I don’t think it would but I would like your opinion.”

This is a great question!

And I answered her — “Yes & No”

Hmmm - not a very great answer you say……..

Well let’s look at it - - - - -

I know from my own experience and from working with others - most of us are living much of our life by default. By that I mean we are not really aware of the vibrations we are sending out - which means we are not really aware of what we are creating and manifesting.

We still have a tendency to believe that life is happening to us - not from us!

Several years ago I would have told you I was a pretty positive person…. Then I took a closer look and I was a bit embarrassed. When I decided to purposely monitor myself I was amazed at how many times I saw the glass as half empty instead of half full!

And I truly would have told you I would see it as half full… but - when I was going through my day - not paying a whole lot of attention to how I was feeling - I was coming from those old thought processes - - And me - this so-called positive person was not as positive as she thought she was!

How could I have thought I was positive and at the same time have these not so positive thoughts rolling around in my head?

Here is what I saw - when I was in awareness - my thoughts were indeed positive.

• So when I was in a conversation my thoughts were positive -
• If I was writing - my thoughts were positive -
• If I was reading something or purposely contemplating something - I was in that positive flow….

But - - when I got caught up in the day to day things - that is where I found my thoughts would stray over into the “glass is half empty” arena….

Abraham would call it sloppy thinking…

I found I was going back into old information that had been stored in my brain… Old beliefs that weren’t really mine - I had learned them from other people - from watching the news - from the TV - from the newspaper - from the radio - and yes even from music.

We live in a society that emphasizes the negative things much more than the positive things. Drama, Trauma - they sell newspapers and TV shows!

The more exposure to those types of thoughts - the more of those types of thoughts roll around in your head! Remember we have 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts running around in our heads everyday.

Newspapers -

• There was a time I read the newspaper every single day. Somehow I thought it was my responsibility to know what was going on in the world. I felt like maybe I would be missing out on something…. But as time went on - I found the world functioned just fine without me monitoring what was going on!

Nightly News -

• The last thing I did everyday was watch the late night news. Again the information given in this media - is mostly about what is wrong with the world - the drama and trauma that went on that day. I was going to bed with those thoughts as my last thoughts of the day!
  • When you think about that - - exposing yourself to the thoughts of hunger in the world - murder - or the financial upset of that day. I’m thinking going to bed with those thoughts are probably not the best way to end your day…

Music -

• As my friend stated in her question - lots of music has negative lyrics! Yes she is right about that. Of course there are also many songs with uplifting lyrics and beats.

I think music affects us in a powerful way - Music can be uplifting - it can open your soul and it can stir your soul to tears. It can motivate and invigorate.

Music can also anchor certain situations and feelings. I know I can hear a song that was popular 25-30 years ago and immediately be transmitted back to a particular scenario that was going on at that time. Sometimes that scenario is joyous and uplifting and then there are those songs that can trigger sad and melancholy feelings.

We live in this immediate information world - Radio - TV - Talk shows - Commercials - Billboards - (they even have ads posted on shopping carts) - Magazines - The Internet - Email……

We are virtually bombarded with messages all day long…. We get so bombarded that we become desensitized. We don’t even realize that these messages are indeed getting into our heads and affecting us!

So what do you do? Do you pack up - quit society and move into the mountains? Do you put ear plugs in your ears and blinders on your eyes?

No - it really isn’t that bad - Actually contrast is good. Contrast allows us to define in even greater degrees what we desire in life.

The key - is paying attention to how you feel. Raising your awareness level of yourself. If you are aware that you are feeling blah - you know you have some kind of blah thoughts running around in your head.

I personally stopped reading newspapers - - When I look at most newspapers I see this condensed version of the zaniest stuff that goes on in this planet! Newspapers don’t really give the whole picture - there are truly wonderful things happening every minute of every day. But - drama & trauma sells!

So - why would I want to read a condensed version of a small portion of the happenings in this magnificent world?

I don’t run away from newspapers - I don’t recoil when I see when - I just don’t usually pick them up and read them anymore.

I don’t normally watch the nightly news anymore - Again it is filled with the condensed version of horror and I don’t think that is the best tone the best thoughts to end my day on…..

And finally music - that is what we started this post about - - I am so aware there are many songs with negative lyrics. Many are filled with victim lyrics… This bad thing happened to me - this other bad thing happened to me - my life is ruined because of you — now my life is ruined and on top of that my dog died too!

I have always loved music and would find myself singing lyrics often. But as I became more aware of the Garbage In to my head - I did become more aware of the lyrics that were rolling around in my head, coming out of my mouth and manifesting in my life.

I found myself turning the channel when a particularly negative lyric song would come on. I really wasn’t doing it on purpose - I never told myself that I had to stop listening to these songs… What happened was my awareness level was raised and I automatically didn’t want to hear those words.

So these changes that I made - have they helped me in any way?

Yes! Absolutely - -

I find that I am much more aware of where my thoughts are taking me. I am more sensitive to how I feel and what I am thinking… So - I am able to know where I am headed - if I am headed in a negative direction - I am then able to stop that flow and turn it around.

Let’s sum this up:

My answer to the question - Can negative lyrics affect me? - Is a solid Yes & No

Yes - those lyrics as well as all the other influences we talked about can certainly affect our thoughts - our emotions - are moods - in a negative way –

AND….

No - nothing can affect us if we are in alignment with the goodness and love of who we are……

If you are aware of how you feel - you will be aware of where your thoughts are taking you. You will be aware of the signal that you are sending out to the Universe.

So - - Occasionally I do still pick up a newspaper - I sometimes watch CNN and Yes I sometimes sing those lyrics of those not so positive songs.

I also read much more positive uplifting information today - I read books, I read great things on the internet…. The movies that I watch are mostly either uplifting or funny …. The music that I listen to is often smooth jazz which is usually no words just instrumental and I also have some CDs that are filled with positive lyrics.

I have added positive influences into my life by carefully paying attention to how I feel and following that guidance in choosing what I let into my life.

And… here is LOA at work - as I add more positive uplifting influences into my life the Law of Attraction brings me more positive uplifting things to add!

Phew! That was a long Yes & No answer!

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If you are looking for some positive and upbeat music - here are two CD’s that I highly recommend

Mark Romero     If you like Latin, Jazz and Classical rhythms these are the CD's to listen to! More Info

And for DVD’s I am really very please with the new Louise Hay movie - I have watched it in its entirety once and have re-watched several portions of it a few times.

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I will be re-doing and adding to the Useful Resource page — So tell me what movies, DVDs, CDs, books and other that you have found useful and I will add them.