Think About What You Think About
By Dr. Ron Ross
The trip to Santa Monica (California) Beach was supposed to be fun; but for this six-year-old boy from Colorado, it was not. I had never seen an ocean, did not know how to swim, and after I waded a few steps into the gentle waves discovered I never wanted to go there again.
My first few steps were exciting as the warm water washed gently over my bare feet. So I boldly ventured out a few steps more – water now up to my knees. Then terror struck as the current attempted to drag me out to sea. My tiny legs fought to keep my balance so I would not be carried to the depths. I turned back toward shore with a frightened look on my face then fought and won the battle against the mighty waves and escaped the evil clutches of the ocean.
As I ran into my mother’s arms I made a decision that has stayed with me for decades: “Ocean bad; land good.” It was a logical conclusion for a terrified child. The information given to my subconscious about the dangers of the ocean was useful but my irrational interpretation of the information (fear) has kept me from enjoying almost any water sport.
Someone wrote that the subconscious mind is 30,000 times more powerful than the conscious mind. I don’t know how they came to that number but let’s assume for a moment it is true.
It raises two questions from me: If your conscious mind is 1X and your subconscious mind is 30,000X which one is most responsible for your present situation? And which one is best able to create a better future for you? It looks to me like the answer to both questions is your subconscious mind.
So, what are you thinking?
The subconscious mind has only one source of information and direction – the conscious mind. All information stored in your subconscious gets there through one of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste, and then it interprets the information and attaches a particular feeling to the information that either helps or hinders the way you live your life.
But who is in charge here? I believe your subconscious mind must ultimately submit to your conscious, but to accomplish that, the conscious mind must take control. Irrational fears, faulty reasoning, and bad information can be overcome by retraining the mind with conscious effort.
You can activate the positive power and deactivate the negative power of your subconscious mind. Here’s how: think about what you think about. Take charge of your subconscious mind; observe your thoughts and entertain only those that empower you.
Direct your subconscious mind to solve problems and it will. Allow it to wallow in despair, fear, and condemnation and you will live in hopelessness and frustration.
You will wiggle out of the mud when you think about what you think about.
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