"Don't Think of Purple Elephants": Focus and Fixation

"Don't think of purple elephants"... "Don't think of polka dots..."

I wonder what the implications are regarding what we focus on. Our minds tend to produce all images related to the words think of or speak. In our minds we see all words, possibly affecting all facets of our perception: The more we speak or think the words, the more our minds might become focused or fixated on that thing that started in the imagination.... Every perceived thought, every perceived interpretation... potentially shaping our vision, our attitudes, and our actions. The images in the mind, potentially become the lenses which we see the world with. The world... a reflection of our own minds...