One Way To Reprogram The Subconscious Mind
“You’re the average of the five people you spend your time with”, is a popular saying by the father of self improvement, Jim Rohn.
Whether you believe in this statement or not, science has already shown how easily influenced we are as a species.
Human behavior is predictably irrational. Give a person a rug to stand on while looking at a piece of artwork to buy, and that person will be more likely to buy the painting than the person standing on something hard. Or give a person a hot drink to hold and that person can rate the next person they encounter as more “warm” or “friendly” compared to those who were holding a cold drink.
Now if our minds are that susceptible to external stimuli, it’s no surprise how forgetful we can be on how to act as a responsible person. There always seems to be some kind of outside force controlling us.
But fortunately, I believe we have more control over ourselves than we think. With practice, however.
The thoughts we have, the actions we take, the perceptions we have of the world. We control that. So let’s slowly shift our focus on that.
What we should forget about are the environments in which we were born under, the amount of care we received from adults, and the genetic dispositions we adopted. Whether good or bad, it’s no longer something we can control.
Now what we could do is rewire our old thought patterns. Changing our perception of the world when it no longer benefits us.
And one way to do this is through mantras, or aphorisms.
Going back to how easily off track the external world can make us, we can be reminded of how to think and act by having a collection of pithy sayings that resonate with us.
Each person has a different connotation with a word or group of words, so it’s whatever maxim that you find yourself emotionally connected with.
For example, some people prefer to use the word “joyful” rather than “happy”.
Or another example would be using the word “mindful” rather than “calm” or “spiritual”.
Maybe a past significant other kept telling you to “calm down”, so the word “calm” rubs off on you the wrong way.
So a mantra you can repeat to yourself is “be mindful” instead of “be calm”.
You want to find words that connect with you. And use them as often as you can when you find yourself in a rut, not behaving the way you want to behave.
This is a tool to center yourself.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there will be aphorisms in which it may only make sense to you because you were exposed to the full context of the story while others weren’t. And you simply need to repeat to yourself the lesson of that story (You don’t need to reiterate to yourself the whole story because you already know it).
A personal example is me using the words, “alright! I can work this way too!”. This was said by Theodore Roosevelt whenever outside circumstances hindered his original plans. He simply said this out loud or repeated it to himself, showcasing his resiliency and adaptiveness of his character.
Another quote I want to share is “Fortune decides to behave exactly as she pleases”, said by the Ancient Greek Philosopher and Stoic, Seneca.
A saying in which he expresses that “fortune” or “luck” is a universal entity in which we have no control over. Therefore she “behaves exactly as she pleases” because we might see others blessed with certain outcomes or results, even though we put in the same amount of effort.
This is a reminder to Seneca (and to myself) that we can only really control our efforts. Focusing too hard on the outcome can lead to misery because we don’t have full control over it (there could be outside circumstances that you realistically may not have control over — example: COVID-19 happening right before the launch of your first physical retail store).
I find this to be an effective strategy on dealing with anxiety.
So what are some mantras that you can repeat to yourself during times of hardship? Or simply as a way to remind yourself what type of person you are, or what type of character you want to cultivate for yourself?
