The Subconscious Mind

We only have one mind but that mind has two distinct functioning parts: the conscious mind and the subconscious mind, the voluntary and the involuntary. The best way to describe the subconscious mind is to compare it to a lawn.

   When Angela and I purchased our dream house in 2008 it had actually been built a few years earlier in 2004, but the original owners had never really lived in or taken care of it. This house had been built just for us four years prior to ever imagining that we would be able to afford it. God’s favor! Although it was a bank-owned foreclosure that had been sitting empty for nearly two years, we immediately recognized its potential and knew that all it needed was someone to appreciate and take care of it. The true owners were finally going to occupy it. After waiting for what seemed an eternity to “go to closing” on the house, Angela and I immediately began to paint the sterile white walls with vibrant earth tones and the inside instantly began to come to life in just a matter a few shorts days. Queen Angela decreed that the half-acre lot (that the house sat on) was my domain alone to conquer and tame, because it clearly had far more weeds than grass. Nevertheless, after seeing how my neighbors had such lush green lawns I knew that it was just a matter of time before our lawn would be the talk of the neighborhood and be upgraded from Watts to Hollywood, as it were.

   Like many of our subconscious minds, the lawn had been neglected, not nurtured or fertilized with important organic components that it so desperately needed to thrive. I core aerated (punched holes in with a mechanical device), thoroughly fertilized, and reseeded the lawn with Kentucky bluegrass seed and watered the lawn so that the seed would properly germinate and take root. Today, I’m proud to say that our lawn is now indeed the talk of the neighborhood and it continues to thrive because of the attention I heaped on it and refused to become discouraged by what used to be. My only concern was what it could be.

   Our subconscious mind is much like a neglected lawn. It will happily accept your conscious seeds of neglect just as easily as it will accept any positive seeds you sow. A lifetime of destructive and negative conscious thoughts make an impression on your subconscious mind in a way that you may have never even thought of prior to reading this. When you take a minute to ponder how various private thoughts have manifested negative actions and hurtful deeds in your life this premise will be made crystal clear. Sooner or later, most of our conscious thoughts seem to always emerge and take shape as an outer experience that corresponds to their internal content, either weed or a beautiful blade of grass. Please begin now to sow thoughts of health, balance, peace and prosperity into your subconscious mind and imagine what your bright future will entail. It really doesn’t matter how much your subconscious has been neglected in the past. Today you will begin to aerate, fertilize and nourish it with positivity.

   It’s important to realize that your subconscious mind is always working. It never sleeps. The only way to tap into our subconscious mind is thru our conscious mind. Try as we might, we will never be able to dictate how our subconscious mind commands our heart to beat, lungs to breathe and digestive system to do what it does. However, we can consciously decide on choosing heart-healthy meals, exercises that strengthen our heart, refuse to smoke and eat plenty of fiber to aid in the digestive process. We truly need to keep our conscious mind constantly occupied with positive thoughts of how we can improve body, mind, and spirit so that it feeds this information to our subconscious. This is the key!

   It has been estimated that on the average, we entertain around 50,000 conscious thoughts each day. That’s a lot of thoughts! Some will be positive but the majority of these thoughts will be negative and lead to stress. If your conscious mind has been consumed with the following thoughts, it’s now time to feed it some new direction.

Ø  I can never change.

Ø  I always fail.

Ø  Nobody cares about me.

Ø  There’s no use in giving it my all.

Ø  Success only happens for other people.

Ø  It’s too expensive to eat healthy.

Ø  I don’t have the time to exercise or pray.

Ø  God will never forgive me.

Ø  Others will always remember what I used to do and remind me of it.

Ø  Change takes too much effort.

   These are just a few examples of the conscious thoughts that have kept you in bondage. Refuse to be a slave. Refuse to settle for less. Your reward awaits you. Starting now, begin consciously thinking and speaking the following several times each day, each hour, each minute.

Ø  I will change my ways starting now.

Ø  I am successful.

Ø  Thank God I have folks around me who care and love me.

Ø  Anything less than 100% effort will not do.

Ø  God loves me.

Ø  It’s too expensive not to eat healthy.

Ø  I will pray over everything I consume and thank God in advance for His blessings.

Ø  God has already forgiven me, so today I have forgiven myself.

Ø  My past is my past. I’m focused on the now.

Ø  It’s easier to change than to remain the same.

   One of the things I’ve really come to appreciate about reading the Word is how Scripture not only gives us the responsibility of controlling our mind, it also gives us some definite guidelines to follow in order to have a thought life that is controlled and pleasing to God. Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism also emphasize the power of our thoughts and even lay out important guidelines for all practitioners to follow. Our thoughts lead to actions and certain actions are abominations to self, others and most of all, God. Therefore, if we put ourselves in a positive frame of mind, we can accomplish anything. If we can clearly see our goal and see that which is within our grasp, there’s nothing stopping us but ourselves and our negative thoughts. That’s why surrounding ourselves with positive images is an essential part of total happiness.

   Up until a few months ago, every weekday morning when the alarm sounded, Angela and I would rise (well, maybe Angela would get-up first and I would try to squeeze out a few more minutes) and one of the first things we did was turn on the television to our favorite a.m. local news broadcast and see what we missed during our period of slumber. Unfortunately, other than sports and the weather it was always the same thing. Someone was killed, raped, shot, robbed or wronged in some horrible manner.

   One morning I said to Angela, "this is too depressing," so I turned off the television and turned on some gospel music. Then it hit me! I, like you, have been allowing what I see on television and hear on the radio to knowingly and unknowingly color the mood of my entire day. Think about it: everything we see and hear is designed to attract viewers/listeners and make $$$. Therefore, others are telling us what they want us to hear instead of what we really need to hear.

   Imagine, if you will, a day where the majority of the information we receive was good and how that would positively influence your day. Some of us have even recently experienced those rare occasions. Got any unexpected money back from Uncle Sam for taxes? Found out you got that surprise pay raise or new position? That one bamma at work who gets on your last nerve called in sick? During these times we seem to get an increased pep in our step, more energy, and a glow that would light up a room.

How can we produce more of these days? I say we need a paradigm shift!

   For example, somewhere in our upbringing we all learned the joy of getting things instead of giving. Let's endeavor to rewire our neurons so we can find pleasure in giving things as much as receiving. We can't control what folks give us, but we are in 100% control of what we decide to give away. There is such an unspeakable joy that comes from the act of giving without an expectation of reciprocity. In this karmic universe, we always seem to get back more than we give. I’m one of the best examples of this law of karma that I know. What about you?

About the Author: James Hackley earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia.  He faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va., and his latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.