Monday, April 25, 2011

Don't Think of a Purple Elephant


Listen now, I say, do not think of a purple elephant.  Ignore the picture above.  Get it out of your mind.  Purple elephants do not exist, at least not naturally.  There is no such thing as a purple elephant.  Now stop!  Just cut it out.  Think about the flower the elephant is holding.  "What," you say?  "Elephants don't hold floweres and sit on their hips."  There you go again.  I tell you to think about the flower the elephant is holding and you are thinking about the elephant and that he is purple and that elephants, purple or not, do not hold flowers.  But this particular one is holding a flower.  Think about the flower.  Forget the elephant.  Purple elephants do not exist, remember?

I give up.  Think about the elephant.  Think about how purple it is.  Purple is a lovely color.  Purple passion.  Purple rage.  Purple haze.  Eggplants, some grapes, raisins, lilacs, plums, my face if I hold my breath long enough.  All purple.  Just not elephants.  Elephants are not purple.  So don't think about purple elephants, I dare you.  

Seriously, the more I say don't, you do.  What is it about purple elephants that is so fascinating for you?  I understand it is the image you mind focuses on as an anchor.  It doesn't necessarily hear the "don't".  So if you don't want to think about a purple elephant, you will need to think of something else.  Think about it.


No, not a cat thinking, think about it!

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