Q. What is the subconscious mind? If we think anything negative, will it happen?
I used to write on Quora a long time back. The topic used to be mostly around the subconscious mind and how it works and how YOU can harness it’s power.
I stopped writing — till the time I opened Quora again today and someone requested me to answer this question. Before I could do anything, the voice in my mind was clear.
You need to answer this question. You can start writing on Quora again. You can start concocting wild stories again.
And, at the same time — why not publish it on your own blog?
So, that’s exactly what I am going to do.
The Answer
Let me break this answer in two parts.
First, what is the subconscious mind?
In the simplest terms, it is that part of your mind that you are not consciously aware of.
For e.g. at this moment, you’re surrounded by a thousand things — but you’re aren’t aware of them. A few kids are playing a game of football in your society. Your mom is cooking something delicious. Your sister is dancing to her favorite song. While you were reading this sentence, you probably checked your phone. The sun is gradually setting. It starts to get a little chilly.
These things would keep happening around you and you’d never know unless you paid attention to these things consciously.
You probably also missed the grammatical error I made in my example above. Why? Because you are used to reading very quickly, and you don’t consciously read every word!
But, your subconscious mind is taking everything in. And there’s a reason why this happens.
When you think consciously, you consume energy. Every day, you wake up with limited energy. If you were to pay attention to everything around you — you’d be mentally exhausted. Your body and your brain is not capable of doing that. That’s where the subconscious mind comes into play. Once you do something consciously enough times, it sinks into the subconscious. And that saves energy.
Fun Fact: You’re not consciously driving your car. Maybe when you were learning how to drive, you were paying close attention. But once you learnt how to drive — it felt effortless. The skill of driving a car, was transferred from your conscious mind to your subconscious mind. When you do something enough times, it becomes a habit remember?
A habit, is nothing but something that you’ve taught your mind to do subconsciously.
Now — let’s come to the core of the question.
If we think anything negative, will it happen?
See, the thing is — your subconscious mind is taking everything in, every moment. Everything influences the subconscious mind. The content you consume. The songs that you listen to. The people that you talk to. Your internal thoughts about your own life. The subconscious is listening. These things shape your thought process — and your thought process changes every moment. [that’s why I don’t watch any reels!]
Let’s understand this with an example.
Let’s say you’re working in a very toxic environment. Your boss piles you with immense work. The pressure is intense. When you’re unable to complete a task, he verbally abuses you.
Boss: ‘You’re good for nothing. You can’t do a simple thing. You not going to achieve anything in your life’
You [internally, consciously]: Why am I like this? Why am I not able to do simple things? Others are able to excel so easily. Maybe he’s right, I am good for nothing. I am not going to achieve anything in my life.
You [internally, while watching a successful person on Instagram]: Look at this guy. He’s so famous. So powerful. Got such a great body. Killing it everyday. Why am I not able to do this? Why am I such a bum? I am not going to achieve anything in my life.
Now, if YOU have this conversation over and over again — this thought will sink into your subconscious. Because honestly, you just can’t do it consciously. You’d be exhausted. And so, it will become a habit. It will become effortless. You will NOT EVEN HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.
Boss: Look, I am placing my faith on you this time. I know I’ve been hard on you — but I am trusting you with this crucial project. I know you can do it!
You [subconsciously]: WHAAAAAT? No, I can’t do it. I am not going to achieve anything in my life!
You [consciously, after a few moments]: Why am I so negative all the time? I’m feeling a little nervous about this project, but let me give it a try.
You [subconsciously, after a few moments]: Nah, don’t even try. You can’t do it. You said so yourself. You can’t achieve anything.
You [consciously]: God, I can’t do it. It feels so difficult. I am going to f*ck it up. I want to try but I don’t know what happens.
You [subconsciously]: Exactly, that’s what I told you. You’re a F*CK UP.
And, chances are you’d mess up the project because you weren’t feeling confident > followed with your Boss verbally abusing you again > followed up with you consciously pulling yourself down again. You get caught in a loop.
A loop which you can break very easily. Because your subconscious mind is listening to everything. Change your content. Surround yourself with positive people. Be aware of your thoughts. Change your internal conversation. Watch something that would inspire you. That would change your perspective.
What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section!