Benjamin Franklin Quotes, Unique Secrets for Success
in Relationships, Personal Prosperity & Self Improvement

Our Benjamin Franklin Workbook includes his original unfinished work, updated for today's challenges in a self-help book. Easy, step-by-step methods to make your life, and the lives of others better & happier.

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Chapter 14

Getting Help from Your Subconscious Mind

    Our subconscious minds have tremendous impact on our lives. Some studies show that as much as 98 percent of everything we think and do, is initiated from the subconscious. That’s pretty powerful control over our behavior and life. 
     The subconscious mind is like a computer. And just as with all computers, it operates according to it’s “programming”. That programming can be good, and helpful, or it can be bad and full of “bugs”. If you have programming that is negative or hinders your life in some way (which most people do), it can counteract and ruin all the conscious constructive efforts we make. 

Getting the Conscious and Subconscious in Sync

     In order for any goal achievement program to really be effective, the conscious and subconscious minds must work together. Many times a person makes major conscious mind decisions, but the programming of the subconscious mind is in conflict with those, and keeps working at counter-purposes to the conscious goal. Since so much of what we think and do comes from the subconscious, this can totally nullify your conscious desires, and in fact, make things happen that are opposite to what you want. 
     For instance, a person may have decided they want a successful career, and they do all the right conscious things to make it happen. They get training, apply for work, etc.. But if the subconscious is programmed for failure, the person will do things that counteract, and defeat the conscious goal. They may be stupid little things, like the slip of a word at the wrong time, or being late for an appointment, or even little physical “screw-ups” that cause some problem with the work you are doing. It can defeat you in many ways. 
     This also applies to personal growth or spiritual goals. For example, if you’re trying to be positive, and the subconscious keeps spitting out negative thoughts and reactions, it’s effectively “short circuiting” your goal. 

Why Do I Seem to Keep Shooting Myself in the Foot? 

     Primarily (as we mentioned earlier), the selfish-side of our selves uses negative programming in and of itself, to keep separate, keep control, and keep “alive”. And it doesn’t want the “status quo” tampered with. But for the moment, let’s take a look at why subconscious programming by itself, can be so self-destructive. 
     Most people never chose their own programming. Sometimes our subconscious programming was haphazardly developed from our environment or experiences. Other times it was deliberately programmed into us, by other people and our culture as a whole. It started from the time we were born (and perhaps even in the womb) and has continued into the present. So our programmers have been our society, parents, peers, schools, television, movies, music, things we’ve read, etc., (and our experiences with them all). 
     Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of their programming, and wouldn’t know how to change it even if they were. If you really want to improve yourself, you should do a self-examination of your programming (your beliefs and habits) and decide if any of it is self-destructive, or working contrary to your ideals or goals (if the GR is the principle you want to live your life by, you can bet some of the programming is contrary to that).
     Failure and reasons for failure, are often programmed in. Few people have had good consistent childhood programming that was supportive of being able to accomplish what they want in life and find personal happiness, let alone supportive of the great benefits of being unselfishly loving. Obviously, you won’t be able to examine all your programming at one time (at least under normal circumstances), but you can contemplate some of it, a bit at a time, over time. Also, don't forget to look at it as issues come up in your life from time to time, and see how they (or your reactions/choices) may be related to your programming. 
     Next, you need to contemplate what kind of programming you want to have, and would be good for you. Once you have done both of those things, you can use various methods we will discuss later, to replace or change much or all of your programming, and get your subconscious mind working for you instead of against you. 

Fighting the Good Fight

     Fighting negative programming, thoughts or feelings isn’t really effective. The best way to truly defeat the negative, is to make progress in the good. And we’ll cover ways to do that.
     The first thing is to set goals and ideals, then get them into your subconscious mind by using affirmations/prayer/self-hypnosis or whatever else can help accomplish that. Again, the subconscious mind is very powerful, and always working in the background. It can always be working FOR your conscious goals and ideals, or AGAINST them. So taking measures to program your subconscious with your conscious desires, will get your subconscious working for you rather than against you. It makes a HUGE difference to have your subconscious mind in harmony with, and working together with, your conscious mind desires and goals. 

[Author's note: Using a mix of scientifically proven techniques and positive affirmations can help TREMENDOUSLY with getting your subconscious mind to work for you towards achieving your goals.]

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