Garbage in garbage out

Garbage In, Garbage Out (abbreviated to GIGO) is a phrase in the field of computer science or Information Communication technology. It is used primarily to call attention to the fact that computers will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data and produce nonsensical output.

The underlying principle was probably cited by the inventor of the first programmable device, who said:

On two occasions I have been asked,-”Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?”

Charles Babbage   Source

Of course you won’t get the right answers out if you put the wrong data in. That makes sense right? You can’t expect to get good answers coming out when you are entering rubbish!

So, if this logic applies to a computer then do you think that it may apply to our very own computer? Our brain if you will!

When I was younger we had a poisonous ritual that we used to undertake as a family every night that constantly fed garbage into my brain. We would all get in from work, sit down in front of the TV (first mistake) and take it in turns to complain about how bad our respective days had been. Common topics would be bosses at work, people we worked with, how unfair it was that somebody got a promotion, the lousy journey to work, the rotten journey home - the list was almost endless. After this was out of the way, we would then sit and watch the news just to top up on the junk.

Of course this was just one of the rituals, or habits, that used to be part of my life and so you can see the kind of effect these had on me, I’ll give you my view of the World at that time.

• I’ll never get a worthwhile job because I didn’t do well at school
• I can’t start a programming business as I didn’t do maths
• I couldn’t do that, I’m not qualified
• I’ll never stop smoking because it’s one of the hardest things you will every do
• The World is a violent, scary place
• People from other countries hate us
• There’s not enough to go around
• If I can’t be bothered to work the government will look after me

These are just a few of the things that I used to think and as you can see they are not the most empowering of thoughts are they? If you think about it, our brain is like a huge library that we use as a source of reference - about ourselves and the World we live in. That is why from this day forward you MUST remember…

Garbage in Garbage out

So now it’s time for my usual question. How do we turn this around?

Well if you go with my library analogy from earlier, then you need to stock your shelves with more positive and empowering reference material. Here are the main steps that I took.

Step One

The first thing that happened was I totally changed my environment - I moved to a different city and lived with friends. I didn’t plan this or know anything about this at the time but in no time I started to be and feel a bit more positive. I found when I went home that I didn’t want to complain about work or the journey as I had quite enjoyed them - a big change.

Obviously you don’t have to be this extreme but you may want to think about how you can change your environment, or at least to change the conversations you have within your current environment.

Step Two

I decided that the old phrase “No news is good news” was a great philosophy so I totally stopped watching, reading and listening to the news. I decided that if it was important enough - then someone would tell me about it. I can’t think of anything that I have lost out on for not knowing - but I have gained so much.

My friend Peter Sage has a great way of looking at the news which is this. It’s the same stuff happening over and over, it’s just happening to different people.

Is there any wonder this keeps happening if we are being programmed by watching the same stuff over and over?

Thinking about it now - why would I have watched a TV show that just focuses on the pain, suffering and bad stuff that’s going on in the World? It makes no sense!

Step Three

Jumping forward a few years…I remember the first time I went through Tony Robbins’ Personal Power II course. This is a CD based, self development programme that spans over 30 days and takes you through a process for changing your life. One of the things that stuck in my mind was when Tony said that he had read over 700 books in the area of self development and as he started to put good stuff in, eventually good stuff started to come out.

So with this in mind I started to read as many books as possible - especially autobiographies as this allows you to see how other people think and deal with situations. I also listened constantly to anything positive that I could. On my iPod, in my car, on my PC at work - basically whenever possible - and guess what? As with Tony, I was constantly feeding good stuff in and eventually good stuff started coming out. The way I spoke changed. The way I viewed myself and those around me changed. But most importantly - the way I thought, and so, the life I created around me changed - in a big way.

Step Four

I guess the latest thing to change is my level of appreciation for everything in my life. I really do feel blessed for everything and spend a little time in the morning being thankful for it all. My body, my health, my family, my friends, my house and where I live, my skills, my company - everything I can think of. I then love to actually tell people how they affect my life and how much I appreciate them - this really eliminates the garbage, whilst giving you an amazing connection to yourself and to them also.

Why not give it a go for yourself? For each person that you meet or even just pass in the street. Think to yourself, and project to them, what is amazing about this person - what is truly beautiful. After a while you’ll find that things start to happen and people start to treat you differently.

Do this for a week and see the effect it has on your life for the better.

Where I am now…

Oh yeah…and by the way - here’s how I think now in comparison.

• I can do or be anything that I want to be
• My software company has done well over the last 20 years without the maths, so what else could I do that they told me was impossible
• Smoking was the easiest thing to stop
• The World is an amazing place to be discovered
• People from other countries are just the same and welcome me as I do them
• There is abundance all around - all you have to do is to learn how to see it
• I am worthy, unique and special

Wow - it’s not until you write stuff down and really think about it that you realise just how much of an effect something has had on your life. What I’ve been talking about is super powerful - especially if you suffer from a negative view of life as I used to do.

Whether you do or not. Have a think now and see if there’s any garbage you could get rid of and what you could replace it with instead. This can have a profound impact on your life for such a simple change.

Have fun

Tim xx