It’s the evening before your 7-day Caribbean cruise to Antigua.  As you pack your suitcase, you are filled with anticipation of all the fun and adventurous things you and your six friends will do while cruising on the ship and indulging in the sights and activities on the Antiguan Island.

Beep, beep, beep…the alarm reads 5:00 AM. You jump excitedly out of bed and shower and dress within record time.  Screeching outside your doors are the tires of the yellow cab destined to the airport. As the driver zips and whizzes through traffic, you conference in the group to ensure everyone is en route to the airport.

Seven hours after the ship sets sail, you and your friends sense something has gone awry as you watch the staff move in a hurried fashion on the upper and lower decks. On your way to the restroom you overhear a crewman saying to another, “Can you believe the ship is off course? They better hurry and reprogram the system so the ship can get back on course.” Like the ship, many of you are off course. Why? Because of the faulty programming in your subconscious mind. Before you get offended, we all have faulty programming.  To get to the place you desire to be in life, you must reprogram your subconscious mind for success!

“You are like a captain navigating a ship. He must give the right orders, and likewise, you must give the right orders (thoughts and images) to your subconscious mind which controls and governs all your experiences.” ~ Dr. Joseph Murphy

So, what is the subconscious mind?

The subconscious is the part of your mind that is not immediately accessible by your conscious mind; it functions below your normal level of waking consciousness. Envision your subconscious as a huge filing cabinet that stores files such as: every wonderful and traumatic experience you have ever had, habits, skills, and every visual image you have ever seen.  In contrast, the conscious part of your mind is responsible for logic, generating thoughts, being proactive and deciding which path to take. In your conscious mind, all of these functions are completely under your control, unlike your subconscious mind.  The conscious mind makes decisions and gives orders to the subconscious mind.  Therefore, the subconscious will carry out the directive based on what is programmed, not necessarily what you are requesting.  Yes…I know, it sounds a bit scary….keep reading.

Your subconscious mind carries out the instructions of your conscious mind without questioning. Within your subconscious lies all your beliefs (including limited beliefs) and habits (what you do every day). Our beliefs and habits control our everyday life. Were you aware that 88% of your mind is comprised of the subconscious, which you do not actively control? On a daily basis you only use 12% of your conscious mind. Therefore, your subconscious mind is at the helm; it’s running the ship–you.

Is your ship on course?

Are you sailing in the right direction?

Is your subconscious mind programmed to help you achieve success in every area of your life?

How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind

There are several ways to reprogram the subconscious mind. We will explore four powerful and effective strategies within this article. These strategies are affirmations, visualization, meditation and positive self-talk.

Limited beliefs and negative habits can be reprogrammed by using affirmations. The subconscious mind learns through repetition. An affirmation is a definitive statement asserting that something exists or is true.  Every belief and habit you possess was formed through repetition; and we can implant new ones the same way. The first step toward implanting new beliefs and developing new habits is to know exactly what you really want to have, do and be. So, let’s explore affirmations!

Strategy 1: Affirmations

Affirmations are an effective way to plant positive messages into your subconscious. It is one of the most effective ways to change a limited or negative belief.  You must be careful of what you affirm as it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you continuously say “this is never going to work,” then it is highly probable that things never will.

Repetition of an affirmation changes the neural pathways in your brain over time to produce the new belief.  Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz, MD, PhD, a practicing neuropsychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont School of Medicine says, “We can rewire the patterns in our brain with cognitive behavioral therapy or affirmations. Affirmations change the way our brains are wired and the brain lights up differently.”

Here are some examples of affirmations:

1. I am a genius and use my mind, talents, gifts and abilities to produce wealth.
2. I am living a life of divine purpose and destiny.
3. I am emotionally, mentally and psychologically sound.
4. I am focused and driven to create the life I want and deserve.
5. I am a money magnet; money flows to me.

Strategy 2: Visualization

Visualization is a technique that involves focusing on positive mental images in order to achieve a particular goal. It is the ability to vividly imagine something—to “see” it in the mind’s eye—before it exists in any physical reality. Steve Jobs had a clear mental image of what the iPhone would look like and its functions and features before he and his team began to design and build it. Visual images have a huge impact on your brain, both consciously and subconsciously. Consequently, visualization is a great way to program/reprogram your subconscious mind.

Here’s a powerful example of visualization in motion:

Dr. Lee Pulos, a Sports Psychologist, Olympic Team Trainer, and the author of “The Power of Visualization,” describes an experiment the Soviets did with their 1980 Olympic Team and its highly skilled, world-class athletes. The athletes were divided into four groups using varying degrees of physical and visualization exercises.  Below is a chart illustrating the methods used.

So which team do you think won?  At the end of the Moscow Olympics and the Lake Placid Olympics, Group D had won the most medals.  There are countless other examples. VISUALIZATION WORKS!

Strategy 3: Meditation

Meditation plays a vital role in reprogramming the subconscious mind, because it helps to still the mind.  In this state, your brain becomes more receptive; it becomes fertile ground for whatever you want to “implant” into the mind.  Your conscious mind engages in the activities of writing powerful goals, creating a vision state, and developing affirmations. To have those seeds take root and flourish into reality, we have to get those words and images soaked deep into our subconscious mind. Placing yourself in a meditative state is an excellent way to help that process. Regular meditation trains your mind to hold its focus without getting distracted. Over time, meditation helps you to become laser focused.

Strategy 4: Positive Self-Talk

Several years ago, I read a powerful book, titled “What to Say When You Talk To Yourself,” by Shad Helmstetter about the power of the mind and using positive self-talk as a tool to reprogram the subconscious mind.

On a daily basis, we spend more time talking to ourselves than any other person.  Whether it’s a verbal tirade, an analytical discussion or the incessant chatter that takes place within our mind.  Our self-talk dictates our mood, behavior and guides our choices and decisions.  Perhaps the most powerful influence on your attitude and emotions is what you say to yourself, and believe. As I always say, “It is not what happens to you that really matters, but what you say to yourself about what happened.” Your response to the event or situation is what determines your thoughts and feelings and ultimately, your actions. By effectively managing your self-talk, you can begin to live your life on a higher level and create the life you truly want and deserve.

Your subconscious mind will believe whatever you tell it most. Therefore, you must spend time each day intentionally speaking positive self-talk to yourself. It is only through repetition that your subconscious mind will adopt its new programming. Then and only then, will you begin to change the autopilot of your mind to think these new thoughts automatically.

So, how can reprogramming your subconscious mind help you to ASPIRE TO GREATNESS?  Well, I am so glad you asked .  Here’s the quick answer, “EVERYTHING.”  Everything begins and ends in your mind.  If you want to LIVE…DO…BE on a higher level, you must cultivate a mindset that will support that.  So, let’s start reprogramming our subconscious mind for success!

Based on what you have read today, please review the four strategies and share in the comments section below, what you WILL commit to do within the next 24 hours to help you ASPIRE TO GREATNESS!  Come on now…no procrastination.  Procrastination is for losers and you are a winner .

Thank you for sharing and have a FANSPIRING day my friend.

Always Aspiring,

Your Sister and Friend

Rosalynd