With the discoveries in neuroscience, we now know that throughout your life, you are programming your sub-conscious mind. This presentation will show you how to program it to be more positive.
Think of a time when you became better at something by practicing it. Now, recall a time when you lost a skill by not practicing it. We know that constant repetition improves physical skills, like making basketball shots and learning to type on a computer keyboard, but we also know that constant repetition improves mental skills, like learning algebra or a new language. So why does constant repetition work?
That’s because our mind and our body function the same way – in that our mind is made-up of neural pathways and our body is made-up of muscles – and they both get stronger with constant repetition and they both get weaker when not used. In neuroscience, this constant repetition is referred to ‘synaptic strengthening’.
Any thing that we repeat grows stronger. So the first thing to understand is that neuroscientist have discovered that constant repetition programs our sub-conscious mind, because the brain has the ability to rewire itself based on thought patterns. It is based on the Principles of Neuroplasticity: 1. Neurons that fire together, wire together; and 2. Neurons you don’t use, you lose.
Now please pause for a moment – and think of a full moon; next think of an oak tree by the bank of a river; and last think of a red triangle. OK. What did you learn from that? That mental exercise demonstrates that we are not our thoughts. Many people think that they are their thoughts, but you are not the full moon, nor the oak tree, nor the red triangle. We are the observer of our thoughts and that mental exercise demonstrates that as the observer, we have the power to control and change our thoughts.
Unfortunately, many of us have negative thoughts that, through constant repetition have programmed our sub-conscious mind to be negative, and develop the mental habit of thinking negatively. Examples are thinking “I’m not intelligent enough” or “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never be able to learn this”. This is referred to as ‘negative self talk’. Recognize that negative self talk causes low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
In order to program our minds to be more positive, we must reduce our negative self-talk. Otherwise our negative self-talk acts as counter-programming that slows your positive programming. So, let’s watch a video that will help us recognize our negative self-talk.
So the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to program our minds to be more positive because this will reduce negative self-talk. Let’s watch a video that explains how to do this.
It’s easy to program our minds to be more positive if we set our smartphone to beep a few times each day as a reminder. Each time we hear the beep, we ask ourselves, “Are my thoughts positive or negative?” If we notice negative thoughts, we consciously shift to more positive ones. Practicing this programs our sub-conscious mind to be more positive. This simple but powerful habit, known as “mindful thinking,” is one we should maintain throughout life. By practicing mindful thinking, you’ll enjoy a happier and easier life.
Next, we need to understand the power of positive emotions when programming our sub-conscious mind. Neuroscientists have discovered that emotions play a critical role in programming our sub-conscious mind because strong emotions influence both what we remember and what we believe. Your emotion acts as a tag, signaling to your brain that this is an important thought to internalize. By understanding this connection, we can harness the power of positive emotions to program our sub-conscious mind.
Neuroscientist have also discovered that when our mind is in the theta state, like just before falling asleep or right after waking up, it is the best time to program our sub-conscious mind because this deeply relaxed state enhances mental receptivity, allowing positive affirmations and visualizations to bypass conscious resistance and to be embed directly into the subconscious mind. The Theta Mind-State is sometimes referred to as ‘The Gateway to the Subconscious’. That’s why hypnotist put their subjects in a theta mind-state to program their minds. People who practice deep meditation sometimes put their mind in the theta mind-state. You can induce this state yourself by finding a quiet space and using a relaxation technique, such as counting backward or focusing on your breath, to relax your mind. Once in this receptive state, you can introduce positive suggestions or affirmations to program your subconscious mind.
If you program your subconscious mind to be more positive, you will enjoy more happiness. Why? Because it’s thinking negative thoughts that make you unhappy. Recognize that stress, anxiety and anger are self induced by the negative thoughts that you think. So, if you program your subconscious mind to think more positive thoughts, you will be happier. That’s why you want to become the observer of your thoughts. So you can choose to think positive thoughts and, through repetition, program your mind to be more positive.
Now let’s put this all together and program your sub-conscious mind to be more positive. The key is to visualize yourself as being very positive while your mind is in a calm and relaxed theta state. Imagine yourself as already being very positive, and fully embrace the positive emotions that come with this accomplishment. Allow yourself to feel the positive feelings of achievement and vividly immerse yourself in the mental image of success. Thinking in the present tense is crucial because the subconscious mind operates in the now. Repeating this process often, while in the theta state, will program your sub-conscious mind.
While programming your mind to be more positive, focus on thoughts of gratitude and appreciation; on thoughts of self-compassion and acceptance; and on thoughts of having a growth mindset. The goal is to consciously replace negative thought patterns with constructive positive ones.
By regularly practicing these thoughts, you can gradually reprogram your mind to default to a more positive and resilient perspective. It’s a skill that takes time and repetition, but the effort is well worth it. Let’s watch a video that explains this process in detail.
Now let’s watch a final video that summarizes how to program the sub-conscious mind.
By using repetition and positive emotions while in the theta mind-state, you now have the power to program your subconscious mind to achieve any goal you desire, including being more positive.
It’s not just your aptitude, but also your attitude that determines your altitude.