What are you feeding your subconscious?

In our previous blog post on setting goals, we discussed how the subconscious mind is moved by emotion and imagery, which you can use to your advantage when visualizing your dream life and how you're going to get there. While purposefully tapping into your subconscious is a powerful way to achieve success, it's worth keeping in mind that the deep part of your mind is always working, whether you realize it or not, and it tends to see things in more concrete terms than your conscious self. 

So, what are you feeding your mind on a daily basis? Evaluate your daily routine, your favorite shows, books, and movies, and the music you have playing throughout the day. Watching a movie with powerful imagery will affect the subconscious more deeply, especially when it elicits a strong emotion. The effect can be positive, for instance in a film with an uplifting message of people helping each other, or negative, like a gory horror film filled with terrified characters. When it comes to music, think about the lyrics you're singing and how you're singing them. No offense to the Stones, but although "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" has an catchy, upbeat melody, it's words pack a less optimistic punch. Singing your heart out about how you're not satisfied and maybe even getting the physical body involved by dancing sends a strong signal to the mind that you're not content...even if that's not necessarily the case. When you expose yourself to negativity on a regular basis, your subconscious will start to think that the world is a negative place because it can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not.

Knowing that your brain is influenced by stimuli on a deep level, you can actively choose to surround yourself with media that contains messages that you want to embed in your mind. Listen to motivating podcasts, read uplifting stories, and watch news, TV shows, and movies that make you feel good inside. You can also choose music based on lyrics, for instance by picking songs like the one below if your goal is to imbue relaxation into a Type A personality:

You have more control over your life than you think, and consciously choosing what you let into your mind is just one way that you can positively influence your life. Of course, we're not saying that you should never listen to your favorite angst-ridden songs from your teenage years or watch your favorite thriller. Just be mindful of how often you let negative images and words into your environment, and focus on more optimistic alternatives as often as you can.