I’ve been thinking about the influence words have on what we believe and how much of what we accept as true begins with something we’ve repeatedly heard or read.
Words are interesting because they can introduce us to things we’ve never experienced.
Someone can describe a place, a person, or a way of living, and suddenly, we can picture it in our imagination without ever having physically seen it.
Now imagine encountering those same words repeatedly.
Reading them every day, hearing them in conversations, or seeing them displayed around you. Eventually, they become familiar.
And so do the images they create in your imagination.
This makes me realize that words are much more influential than we sometimes recognize.
They don’t simply communicate ideas; they give our imagination something to work with.
Words Give the Imagination Something to See
Think about how easily a few words can create an image in your mind.
You can read about a beautiful home and begin imagining yourself living in one. You can hear someone describe a particular lifestyle and start picturing what it would feel like to experience it. You can read a story so many times that the images become almost as familiar as something you’ve witnessed yourself.
The words create the pictures, and the pictures give you something to see in your imagination.
The more frequently you encounter those words, the more familiar those images become. Eventually, something that was once unfamiliar can begin to feel natural to you.
This is something worth paying attention to because we often underestimate the influence of the words we allow into our lives.
For example, a company understands the importance of words when introducing a product. It creates a name, a logo, a slogan, and a message that describes what its product represents. Through advertisements, it repeatedly places those words and images before you.
At first, you might know very little about the product. However, as you continue seeing its name, hearing its message, and recognizing its image, you become familiar with it. Eventually, you might find yourself purchasing it.
Something you once knew very little about has now become something you recognize, trust, and use.
The same principle can be found throughout society. Words and messages are repeated so frequently that the ideas they communicate become familiar to the people who encounter them.
Sometimes, we don’t even realize how much we’ve come to believe simply because we’ve heard the same things for so long.
The Relationship Between Words and Belief
The more I think about this, the more I appreciate the relationship between words, imagination, and belief.
Words introduce an idea. Your imagination gives that idea an image, and when you repeatedly encounter those words, you repeatedly give yourself an opportunity to see that image within yourself.
Over time, what you once found difficult to imagine can become familiar.
Consider reading the same book every day. Imagine hearing the same words throughout your life, perhaps from childhood. Even if you didn’t initially believe what you were reading or hearing, those words would continue to introduce the same ideas and images to your imagination.
Eventually, you might begin accepting those ideas as your own beliefs. And once you believe something, it can influence how you perceive yourself, the world around you, and the possibilities you see for your life.
This makes me wonder how many of our beliefs are things we’ve consciously chosen and how many are things we’ve simply become accustomed to hearing.
Become Aware of the Words You Allow Into Your World
With this understanding, I find myself appreciating the importance of being intentional about the words I allow into my life.
If I don’t want to entertain a particular idea, why continually expose myself to words that reinforce it? Why keep reading messages that create images I don’t wish to carry within myself?
Of course, we cannot control every word spoken around us or everything we encounter. However, we can become more conscious of what we choose to read, listen to, repeat, and entertain.
We can release things from our lives physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Likewise, if there are things we want to believe, we can allow ourselves to become familiar with the words that describe them.
Read them. Hear them. Keep them around you. Let them create images in your imagination.
After all, you don’t have to physically possess everything you desire before you allow yourself to see it.
Sometimes, you have to see it within yourself first.
Choose the Words You Want to Live With
I find it interesting that we can become believers in things simply because we’ve repeatedly encountered the words and images associated with them.
Yet, when it comes to the things we personally desire, we sometimes struggle to give ourselves permission to imagine them.
We look at what is currently happening and allow those circumstances to determine what we can believe about tomorrow.
But what if we gave our desires the same attention?
What if we surrounded ourselves with words and images that represent the experiences we would love to have?
Think about the little things around you.
You could have a favorite teacup with a word or phrase that reminds you of how you want to experience life. Perhaps it’s JOY, PEACE, ABUNDANCE, or simply LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.
Every time you reach for that cup, you see those words. You read them, recognize them, and are reminded of the idea they represent.
You could also place pictures around your home that reflect the things you enjoy imagining. A beautiful home, a garden, a place you’d love to visit, or simply an image that evokes the feeling you want to experience.
Perhaps you keep a little collection of words and pictures where you can see them throughout the day. You might choose books that contain ideas you enjoy, listen to conversations that leave you with something beautiful to think about, or write words you love somewhere you’ll encounter them often.
These things might seem small, but they give your imagination something to return to.
And that’s the point.
You don’t have to wait for your surroundings to show you everything you want to experience. You can intentionally create an environment that introduces you to those experiences through words and images.
The Importance of Awareness
This is why awareness matters to me.
I want to be conscious of the words I’m allowing into my world. I want to know what I’m reading, what I’m listening to, what I’m saying to myself, and what I’m repeatedly imagining as a result.
Because words don’t always remain words. They can become images in our imagination, and those images can influence what we come to believe.
Ultimately, what we believe can influence how we live.
To believe is to live out your beliefs.
So, believe in what is good for you. Believe in what you consider possible for your life.
And if there is something you don’t want to believe, you don’t have to keep it in sight or give it a place in your imagination.
Give yourself the freedom to see something else.
If you cannot have it physically yet, allow yourself to see it in your imagination.
Give those words a place in your world. Let them create the images you desire to see.
See it there until you live it.
