Make no mistake, you are getting everything you are asking for. We spend most of our days thinking about all of the thing that we have to do and how we are going to fit those activities into our schedules. A majority of this time, while we are having these thoughts, either we aren’t acting on them or we are doing something else while we are thinking about what we have to do. Consciously we know what we have to do and depending on that task, it may be a tall order. The mere thought all the work it would take to accomplish that task might make us be hesitant to accomplish it if we don’t have a solid plan in place to get it done.
Why are we sometimes not moving on our goals?
How is this happening when we know what we have to do?
It comes down to how we are thinking subconsciously that ultimately drives how we feel and our actions that follow that feeling. Let’s break down how we can get our subconscious thoughts to align with what we have to do.
What is the subconscious mind?
The subconscious mind is a special part of the human being. Occupying space in our heads with the conscious mind, the subconscious mind works as a memory bank for our past thoughts, experiences, feelings, and emotions. It’s a fight-or-flight system that can allow you to make decisions in a millisecond based on your circumstance and past experiences. What makes it so crucial to our existence is that it works on autopilot without us consciously thinking about it. In contrast, the conscious mind works at our will. At any given moment we know exactly what we are thinking about, what we are planning to do, and the current situation we are in. The biggest difference between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind is that the conscious mind is controlled and the subconscious mind is not. The subconscious thinks independently from your conscious mind and is subjective in reason.
How is your subconscious hearing you
Think of our conscious mind as the captain of a ship and our subconscious mind as the sailor behind the wheel who must do what the captain says. If the captain says to turn left, the sailor will turn left. If the captain orders to turn the ship around, then the sailor will proceed to turn the ship around. However, if the sailor knows the route of the ship to the destination given by the captain, then the sailor will have the power to make its own decisions on steering the ship in route to the destination based on the motion of the ocean. The motion of the ocean in this analogy refers to our emotions. If we consciously know the goal we are trying to get to, but our emotions on how we will get there are full of doubt, then our subconscious will comply with those feelings of doubt causing us to question every next move we make and be stagnant in our progress towards our goal. Your subconscious can not differentiate what is right or wrong for you, nor does it discriminate between obeying progressive or destructive thoughts. Its not a light switch you can just turn off and on. Your subconscious is always on, listening to you, storing information, and obeying your innermost desires.
How Your Subconscious is Obeying You
As previously stated your subconscious mind does not discriminate between feelings. It simply operates subjectively and complies with those feelings. Back to the captain and the sailor analogy, we must realize we are acting as the captain of the ship with our conscious thoughts. The sailor is our subconscious mind taking orders and steering the ship. The ship is our body and the actions that we take. The “motion of the ocean” is our emotions and feelings towards the actions we want to take.
When we tell ourselves that the next task that we have to do is going to be hard to accomplish, then our subconscious mind is going to listen to us and act accordingly. This will be reflected in our actions. This may manifest in some of us as procrastination or alternate options perceived to be an easier route because less work is involved. Know this: our subconscious minds dictate our actions and behaviors based on stored habitual thinking that aims to keep you in that comfort zone.
Remember your subconscious mind allows you to make decisions in milliseconds, so if you are not accustomed to pushing the limits of your problem-solving skills to positive solution-based thinking, then your subconscious is not going to be pushing you out of your comfort zone of doubt and stagnation and into your goals.
How to influence your subconscious mind
The beauty of the subconscious mind is that it JUST OBEYS. This means we have full control to give orders. I write in my book Did You Know? You Are The Shit! that words are very important, and that we must pay attention to the words that come out of our mouths both intentionally and unintentionally. Especially the unintentional words because those words come from our subconscious mind and are a direct reflection of how we are feeling.
When we say or think we can’t do something, then our subconscious mind will obey that way of thinking, and then we won’t have the belief in ourselves to accomplish the tasks at hand. Instead, say what you are currently dealing with is manageable and that the task is being accomplished. If you aren’t already positively affirming yourself in your situation, then this process could take time. It could actually feel outright uncomfortable because your subconscious doesn’t believe it yet and wants to keep you in that comfort zone of doubt. However, you must stay consistent in positively affirming yourself because eventually you subconscious will adapt and obey your new way of thinking.
When people bring newborn puppies’ home, what is one of the first things they always try to get their dog to do? SIT! What do new parents try doing when their kids become old enough? Potty train! In both scenarios it take a while to get the dog to listen or the kids to not use their diaper as a toilet, but eventually with enough work they both figure it out. We must work to train our conscious thoughts to eventually override any doubting thoughts from our subconscious minds so we can have the confidence to move forward.
3 Tips to rewire your subconscious mind:
1. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of separating yourself from your thoughts and being fully present with where you currently are. Ideally this comes from being in meditative state which could be at home, sitting still with vibrational music playing, at the gym while you are in a zone, or any place where you are focused. The idea here is to separate yourself from your thoughts so that you can look at each of your thoughts objectively. While in your meditative state, any thought that runs across your mind that doesn’t help you toward your goals, you must get rid of that thought and replace it with a positive affirming thought opposite in nature.
2. Say positive affirmations out loud
Affirmations are short and powerful statements that can change your life by changing your way of thinking. If you are naturally inclined to be negative, skeptical, or both then most likely you have emotions towards your situation that are detrimental to your progression in life. Affirmations allow the freedom to say what you want to believe to be true so that the reality around you conforms to your way of thinking. Even if you don’t believe the words you are saying, continue to say them until you do. Remember, the subconscious can’t tell the difference between what is true or false for you, its only reality is what it’s being told. You can literally will yourself into a good space mentally with your own words. My book contains plenty of affirmations to start you off on your affirmation journey as well as a personal workbook journal to document your progress along the way.
3. Accomplish small task and feel that energy
When you are in search for reasons to be positive or believe in yourself, do something with a definite start and end. Set mini goals. This can be as simple as setting a goal to rearrange your closet and following through until completion, making a grocery shopping list with the task of being at the store no longer than 30 minutes, or finish the book you’ve been holding off on. Whatever the mini goal is, make sure its not something that complicated to do and has a clear A-to-Z roadmap.
Once completed you should have a feeling of accomplishment. In this moment affirm to yourself you can do anything you put your mind to, and then transfer that energy to the work for your main goals. Use these mini goals as the spark to your ignition. Set your subconscious up to believe that you always finish the tasks that you start. Consciously make the effort to finish what you have told yourself you will start.
Key points to remember:
- Your subconscious is always awake, listening, and obeying
- Your subconscious minds dictate your actions and behaviors based on stored habitual thinking
- We have the control to influence our subconscious mind with conscious thoughts and change habitual thinking
- Be mindful of the words that come out of your mouth and thoughts that come into your head
- Stay consistent in affirming success in all of your situations
Get my book: Did You Know? You Are The Shit! – Positive Affirmations to Overcome Self-Doubt
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