Your life is largely governed by the two parts of your mind: the conscious and the subconscious....
COVER STORY
Your life is largely governed by the two parts of your mind: the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind is rational, logical, and performs deliberate thinking in the present, while the subconscious mind is an enormous storage unit that collects images, thoughts, beliefs, memories, experiences and habits. Your subconscious mind holds information that allows you to do things automatically, without much thought. It is constantly storing your repeated mental images, thoughts and beliefs, working to bring them into reality. Therefore, whatever you habitually tell yourself, your subconscious mind will begin to provide you with evidence of its truth.
The conscious mind is alert until one falls asleep, while the subconscious mind is awake at all times, in fact, more focused immediately before and during sleep. According to estimates, only five percent of human brain activity is conscious; the rest is subconscious. The conscious mind is at the forefront, while the subconscious mind works behind the scenes, lurking in the shadows - silent yet powerful - directing and influencing your life in unimaginable ways. The conscious mind debates different courses of action; it reasons, analyses and plans, while the subconscious mind does not argue; it quietly accepts whatever it is given.
The subconscious mind is extremely powerful; it is a force to reckon with. It does not have limits. One must deal carefully with their subconscious mind, because once it grabs hold of an idea, it proceeds to execute it. It does not make comparisons. You must present your subconscious mind with only positive and healthy suggestions. Your thoughts might be challenged by your conscious mind but not your subconscious mind. It will simply accept them and deliver accordingly.
Your subconscious mind never takes a break and certainly never forgets. Every significant event that has occurred in your life, every trauma, is stored in your subconscious mind. With time, these events may become suppressed but can be triggered by certain words, smells, sounds and events.
Detrimental and self-sabotaging beliefs, arising from factors such as parenting, the environment, friends, and circumstances, become embedded in the subconscious from childhood. These negative beliefs, stored in the subconscious mind, often conflict with desires; for example, when a person wants to apply for a high-level position but has fed their subconscious with the conviction that they are unworthy of a high income.
The good news is that there are several ways to reprogramme your subconscious mind for it to help you prosper in life. One of these is through belief. If you believe that good things will happen to you, that you will be wealthy, healthy and happy, your subconscious mind will accept this and elevate your confidence level, ultimately encouraging you to take empowered action.
However, if you persist in your positive beliefs - no matter what your current circumstances are showing you - eventually, through the power of your subconscious mind, your outer reality will change to reflect your inner belief. Positive affirmations, which have become very popular in recent times, are another method by which the subconscious mind can be moulded. When you say something positive about yourself repeatedly, you eventually begin to believe it. This is because the subconscious mind works to show you proof of what you believe about yourself.
Actions and efforts are influenced by thoughts. When a person repeats to themselves that they are healthy, this thought becomes a constant presence in their mind. They will then, both consciously and unconsciously, begin to choose healthier foods, exercise more, and make other beneficial choices. Another technique to shape the subconscious mind is through visualisation. As mentioned earlier, the subconscious mind stores not only beliefs and memories but also mental images. If you imagine a scenario vividly, incorporating its colours, sounds, and smells as if it were actually occurring, your subconscious mind will work to bring this picture into effect.
Yet another way to allow your subconscious mind to help you is to set a positive identity for yourself. Some examples include claiming that you are a ‘lucky person’, a ‘successful person’, or a ‘healthy person’. Once you establish an identity for yourself, your subconscious mind will act to make it come true.
In the case of traumatic events, feeding the subconscious mind a different, more empowering story about a certain unhappy experience may reduce the pain associated with it. This can be achieved by recalling the event to trusted family or friends, and admitting how it made you stronger and wiser and the lessons that you learnt. It may also be accomplished by writing in a journal or a letter to yourself. When done with conviction repeatedly, the subconscious mind will accept the new version of the event.
One of the most dynamic books on the subject of the subconscious mind is The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr Joseph Murphy. The book contains testimonies of people who achieved great feats and overcame colossal hurdles through the power of their subconscious mind. In it, we learn, among other accomplishments, of a janitor who became a doctor, a man who overcame his fear of lifts and a woman who settled a very difficult lawsuit, simply by using her subconscious mind correctly. Dr Murphy claims that your subconscious mind can provide solutions to your problems if you simply turn the matter over to it.
The following are some of the most striking points from the book:
“A mental picture held in the mind, backed by faith, will come to pass.” This is a personal favourite of mine, for I have imagined scenarios that later occurred exactly as I had visualised them.
“What you condemn takes wings and flies away.” Therefore, do not think or speak badly of love, money or marriage, as they may become unfavourable to you if you do so.
“Never finish a negative statement.” Catch yourself when you are about to say something, such as ‘I cannot afford this’ or ‘I am not good enough’, and reverse the statement.
“You must be very careful to give your subconscious only those suggestions that heal, bless, elevate and inspire you in all your ways. Remember, your subconscious mind does not understand a joke. It takes you at your word.”
Our subconscious mind is a powerful system gifted to us by our Creator, which can help us achieve magnificent things and overcome major obstacles, but only if we learn to use it properly.
Reference: The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy, revised by Dr. Ian Mcmahan.
