The Bear Is Always There: The Inner Workings of the Subconscious Mind

The Bear is Always There: The Inner Workings of the Subconscious Brain (plus, 3 Ways to Change It!)

WARNING: Before you read this article it is imperative that you check out the “Awareness Test” broadcast on YouTube.

Do not read the rest of the article until you follow this link to take your "Awareness Test": Click here.

Did you watch? Good, I’m glad you made it back; YouTube can be quite addictive!

If you were like most people, you didn’t see the moonwalking bear the first time you watched the video. Isn’t that crazy? When I first realized that I had missed this totally out-of-place “animal”, I didn’t believe it. But, there it was. The bear was always there; I just didn’t notice it.

Wait. Let me correct that last statement. I didn’t consciously notice the bear but you better believe that my subconscious noticed that crazy bear. That’s how the subconscious works in every situation. Our subconscious gets bombarded with millions of pieces of information, smells, tastes, sounds, emotions…the list goes on… every minute of our waking day; we just don’t realize it.

It is actually a good thing that we aren’t aware of everything our subconscious has to contend with. But it can also be a bad thing. What do I mean? Well, it’s a little like money. If you control your money it can add value to your life allowing you to enjoy wonderful experiences. But, if money controls you it can be bad, very bad. You may find yourself up to your eyeballs in debt and unable to shake worrisome thoughts about your financial future. And unfortunately, like money, most people don’t control their subconscious.

The more aware you are, the more you are in control of your subconscious. But, if you are unaware of what information the subconscious “befriends” well, than you have problems. The problems come in the form of doubt, anxiety, sadness, and overall negative feelings. And since these feelings are caused by something that came in through your subconscious, you probably aren’t even aware of the cause of these feelings.

Controlling your subconscious is easy enough…in concept that is. When you use awareness to your advantage, you are able to tame your subconscious. And just like the bear in the video – once you looked for him, you were able to clearly
see him - you can train your subconscious to notice and focus on positive things.

When you don’t choose to be aware, you don’t control what goes into your subconscious. When this happens, your subconscious opens the door for many unwelcome thoughts and beliefs which can run amok! It stands to reason then that learning to take great care of your subconscious is something that any healthy person must learn to do.

Like our bodies, taking care of our minds, specifically our subconscious in this case, reaps huge rewards. Think about the following points and try some of the exercises. Then, you tell me if you start noticing more beauty and kindness and love and generosity around you. Seriously, email me and let me know.

Have you noticed that there are many ways to protect our children from inappropriate words or situations: movie ratings, child safety locks, and parental controls for the Internet, etc.? This is good because children are especially influenced by worldly things that they may not totally understand. But isn’t it funny that we don’t censor ourselves? Why don’t we protect our thoughts and emotions? Are we less valuable?

Suggestion: Try cutting out movies or television shows that focus on the negative aspects of human nature. Shows about killings and rapes and violence do stay in your subconscious even after the TV is turned off.

The words you say have more power than most people can even imagine. Words stay in your subconscious promoting corresponding emotions. Do you want your current emotions to hang out with you day in and day out? If not, change your words.

Suggestion: Try an experiment on a somewhat relaxed day. Put a cup on your table and keep a bowl of colored poker chips, coins, or paper clips nearby. Make sure you have three different colors of the item (blue, green, and red poker chips for example). Each time you make a statement or ask a question, decide if your words hinted at negativity or if they were mainly positive. Some will be neutral, but not too many. Designate a color for positive, negative, and neutral thoughts. Each time you make a comment or statement, put the corresponding color item in the cup. At mid-day, examine your results. If you don’t like what you see, spend the rest of the day trying to change your ways.

Would you want to spend your summer vacation in a broken down, roach-infested, crumbling cottage home? No, of course you wouldn’t. Your surroundings have a lot to do with how relaxed and content you feel. We know this is true when we talk about vacations but how about everyday life? Why do we choose to surround ourselves with negative people, dirty spaces, and depressing new stories? You may not realize that you are doing this but your subconscious does.

Suggestion: At the risk of sounding like your mother, choose your friends wisely. You can respect and be kind to everyone but spend your time with those who are good for your subconscious.

Pick an area in your house or yard. Fix this area up. Even if you are low on money, put together items you already have and create a small space that makes your feel really good.