Manifesting our dreams begins within us. Although it flies in the face of so much of what we are encouraged to do to reach our goals, the truth is that we are actually the source of our victories as well as the obstacles that stand in our way. Unfortunately, we are often unaware of the inner reality that is causing our outer world struggles. The subconscious mind becomes as adversary when it could just as easily function as an ally.
Various methods of manifestation, including creative visualization and hypnosis, seek to harness the power of the subconscious mind in order to help people to reach their goals. These operate on the assumption that people carry unconscious beliefs, strong convictions that create barriers in their lives. Dragging these beliefs out into the light of day and discarding them can remove the barriers.
You must keep in mind that your subconscious does not discriminate or make value judgments. It is the job of the conscious mind to do that. Your subconscious is accepting. It looks to you to give it clear directives regarding the nature of reality. If you tell yourself, for example, “I never have any luck,” then your inner mind can accept this statement as literal truth and you will not experience much luck in your waking life. Calling upon the subconscious to help us reach our goals involves becoming aware of the things that we are telling ourselves. These repeated mantras act like computer programs for the subconscious. They become blueprints for the kind of reality that you should subsequently live.
To change any outer world result that you’re not happy with you must change the underlying program. Sometimes this may involve telling yourself things that seem absurd in the face of reality, such as “all my needs are met,” when you’re living in poverty. But such a practice should gradually redirect your subconscious – and the imaginative powers at its disposal – to bring about different outcomes.
Dwelling on problems, on the other hand, only reinforces them. Mulling over the sources of unhappiness in your life amounts to telling your subconscious that your world is unfriendly and that the things you long for are out of reach. A good friend may try to talk you out of your despondency and convince you to look on the bright side. Your subconscious mind can simply accept your assertions as facts and then work to create situations that mirror them.
The fact that the subconscious is so responsive to our thoughts and beliefs can be a liberating one, however. Thanks to this natural law we have only to become conscious of our mental programs – and change those that aren’t to our liking – and we can transform our outer lives. The method remains the same for each person regardless of his or her circumstances. Our ideas about ourselves – and about what is possible for us and what is not – serve as the building blocks for our personal reality. Expanding those ideas can bring the subconscious to our aid as we strive to reach our goals in life.
