The subconscious mind is a powerful tool, and also a very trusting one. Most of our lives, we are bombarded by external noise- be it in the form of our culture, parents opinions and suggestions, or anyone for that matter. This helps define our subconscious beliefs, actions, feelings and expressions which shape the mind and define us. The extent of it\’s effects vary and it\’s effects in shaping individuals is therefore different for everyone.
The way out of this is to build your own powerful narratives-so powerful that they transcend the willpower and access the deepest levels of the self. These notes are there to help you identify, categorise, and correctly reframe the mind in order to attain massive success and confidence in life. This will also allow you to live your life in the best and most free way possible. This is what will end your fearful existence and self-inflicted misery.
In order to identify these instincts, one must start with observation. Keenly observe how you speak with yourself, how others create narratives around you-be it family, friends, or anyone. While these narratives are inherently neutral, we tend to either react to them with aversion or with a sense of attachment/attraction. This removes our choice of responding and puts us in a mood of reaction- what\’s known in Buddhism as \’dukkha\’. The alternative is to be aware and equanimous, whence we observe the narratives that are programmed within us over the years, since birth, or are external noise that we have just picked up. When you start observing your internal and external narratives, it is crucial that you remain extremely equanimous-neutral, as there are bound to be a number of unpleasant and pleasant experiences and memories that may come up. All of us, from birth, are shaped by the environment, but we all have a choice to frame our own destiny and re-write our story.
Take a look at these categories about your mental state:
- Behaviour – This directly controls our success or failure. It is how we act, what we do every moment of the day,
- Feelings – Feelings are your filters which determine how you will behave or act toward a certain event or in daily life,
- Attitudes – These are the perspectives with which you view your life, we all have a combination of good and perspectives which arise from our belief systems
- Beliefs – What you believe to be true, is the powerhouse that drives all reality of the world, at this point, the mind assumes that all it sees is objectively real, that even our subjective notions are true. This is created by our programming
- Programming – The books you read, the media you see, the people around us all create, reinforce and cement how things and people are around us. To be successful, one must change our programming
It\’s quite evident that we should work to change our programming, to make it as objective, scientific and fact-based as possible. In order to do that, we must use an effective approach. There are a few effective approaches that have been observed to work successfully. These are driven by our self-talk and not the external world.
Self-Talk is the revelation of your subconscious mind, it is the communication on others, it is essentially what you are as a person for each minute of the day. Influence creates new self-talk. There\’s different levels to self-talk.
Level 1– Represents everything from our misgivings, fears, hesitations etc.
Level 2– \”I need to change…\”, \”I have a problem..\”, is the level where your internal talk recognises it\’s issues and concerns. It is not how to change the concerns but to see them.
Level 3– This is a statement in the present tense, such as, \”I no longer have this issue…\”, \”I am no longer this person…\” which imply a shift in your identification with your core issues.
Level 4– The words we use change to affirmative ones, \”I am organised\”, \”I am in control\”, \”I am
Level 5– At this level, there is cosmic and transcendent understanding of \’meaning\’ on the highest level. This is the level of highly raised consciousness and spiritual greatness which comes with time.
Some ways in which we can self- talk are–
Silent self-talk– Where we hold a quiet dialogue with ourself,
Self-speak– Where we use conversation in the mind to converse with ourselves and to identify ourselves in a certain manner,
Self-write– Where we make written notes, journals of our thoughts,
Once we identify and establish with all honestly the level at which we are, we must understand that the process of repetition of the words we use, the sequences we establish and the level at which we talk with ourselves is bound to create a mental framework. Therefore, we should strive to create a positive mindset that is going to empower us and others and create win-wins for everyone around. Accepting self-talk comes through repetition of what one says and does. We must make sure it is specific, practical, ethical, personal and honest. This is the gradual path to creating a successful life.