We don’t think about our subconscious mind very often, but it runs in the background controlling much of our lives. If you think about a ship, your conscious mind is the captain ordering the steerers to steer. The conscious mind is at the forefront of our lives, seeing everything we see. The subconscious mind, on the other hand, is below the deck of the ship. It’s the steerers below deck taking orders from the captain, or your conscious mind. If you speak to your subconscious mind telling it to do something, it will follow through. And this is a trick you can use to your advantage to change your mindset and your life.
Shift your inner dialogue.
One of the biggest steps to programming your subconscious mind is being aware of your constant inner dialogue. The average person has up to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those thoughts, an average of 80% are negative. And what your subconscious mind hears, it believes. So, it’s time to start being diligent about framing self talk positively. If your thoughts say you’re unhappy with your job, you’ll believe it and behave accordingly. If they say you’re not fit or lazy, you might skip that workout because that’s the person you’re telling your subconscious mind you are.
Instead, recognize the relationships you’re happy with or the strengths you have. Tell yourself you’re happy with your health, job, relationships, life and yourself. Negative thinking patterns might seem harmless, but they can keep you stuck in a rut with the things you’re not happy with. When your thoughts speak to your subconscious mind, shifting that dialogue and speaking kindly to yourself shifts your beliefs over time.
Surround yourself with who and what you want to be.
Ever heard the phrase “guilt by association?” Our subconscious mind works in the same way. If you want to be motivated and goal oriented, but you’re hanging out with people who never seem to apply for a job and watch Netflix on the couch all day, what is that telling your subconscious about the person you are? The same goes for the environments you spend time in. Think about the person you want to be a year from now. Where would that person go? What would that person do? Who would they spend time with? When you have those answers, you have your game plan.
Do you know the impact of positive stress on our brain? Learn more in this article.
Have a crystal-clear vision.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there. Yes, you want to be successful in five years’ time, but what exactly does that mean to you? Identify the tangibles. Maybe you want a certain square-foot house in a certain suburb, a specific job title, or have a certain number of kids. You can even make a vision board, whether it’s on Pinterest or physical pictures on paper. Either way, knowing the specifics makes your subconscious aware of the course you need to take. You’re then able to set your sights on that path and take the actions that will keep you walking along it. You’ll start to speak to your subconscious mind knowing that this is the reality you want to create.
