We are all supercomputers. If you don’t put any information into the computer, then you’re just spare parts. Ha! I don’t know exactly where that came from. If I know of someone who said it to me, or if I read it somewhere – then I would certainly credit that person. Or that AI. Oh god – things actually will come to crediting AI won’t they? Terrifying.
Anyways, it’s likely a mixture of all of the information that I’ve ever taken in, blended with regular walks, meditations, good food, good laughs, fulfilling work, and whatever else has aided in my subconscious mind crafting it together for me.
You see, when I said it aloud to myself – I didn’t “think” it into being. It really just appeared for me. I started with the first word, for some unknown reason, and then the rest of the sentence just continued to pour out of me.
So strange! Where the hell does that come from? Well, I may just have the answer. It’s long and in depth and I’m sure it’ll get kind of out there from time to time throughout this read – so strap in.
You know that quote from Wedding Crashers where Vince Vaughan says “They say we only use 5% of our brains, blah blah blah, 5% of our hearts, etc.”? Well it kind of sucks that that cliché became even more cliché. Thanks Vince. Just kidding, everyone loves you.
The funny thing with clichés is that there’s actually a lot of truth to them. No, hear me out… And remember, everything I say has come from somewhere. I’ve read a lot, I’ve watched a lot – and this theory is just that: a theory.
The 5% of our minds that we use is our consciousness. Yes, our conscious mind. You know – what we choose to watch or listen to. What we decide to eat. The internal dialogue we have when we’re looking at Shelby’s new dress. The words we say when we’re responding to the words that someone else has said.
All of these things, that is the conscious mind. Now, the other part of the mind – and this is where it gets a little abstract – is the subconscious mind. This is the 95% that we don’t exactly have access to.
The subconscious mind is where our reactions come from – it’s why we say the things we say and do the things we sometimes wish we didn’t do.
Every single thing that we’ve ever experienced is filed away in the subconscious mind – and depending on the relationship that we have with that part of the mind, we’re either acutely aware of what’s in there, or completely oblivious to it.
Steve Jobs once said that it’s “by looking back that we’re able to connect the dots.” Or something like that. What meaning! By looking back, we’re able to understand why we’re reacting to something in the way that we are today.
To look towards the movie Limitless, we’re able to paint a clear picture of what the ideal human being is capable of. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it.
It stars Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro, and it's a story of the human condition. At the beginning of the movie, Cooper just sucks. He’s a hurt ass writer in NYC. He’s a mess and his life is falling apart.
He runs into an old acquaintance (his ex-wife’s drug dealing brother) and they grab a drink. The guy gives Cooper a little pill that he claims will solve all of his problems. And of course, it does. Oh, it does – big time.
I won’t ruin the rest for you (seriously, go watch it) but the basic premise is that he literally has access to everything that has ever entered his subconscious mind – and it turns his life around.
Now, this is real life. We don’t have a little pill that can do that [yet]. But what if we did? What if we all had our own versions of that little pill?
Well I’d like to suggest that we do. My version of it lies in my strict routines. It lies in my reading, writing, meditations and my walks. In sticking with these every single day, I’m controlling the flow in and out of my mind.
I consciously do these things, and as such am gifted backdoor access to parts of my subconscious mind. Even further than this, Because I’m controlling the input and output of information from the subconscious, I’m able to use it for the supercomputer that it really is. I’m able to trust it to solve my problems.
Has this ever happened to you? You’re faced with a problem. Even a simple one. Maybe you’re trying to remember someone’s name, for example. I know you’ve been there.
And what happens when you try to think your way through it? It doesn’t come! Like, ever.
Well, have you ever just admitted to yourself “I’ll figure it out, it’ll come when I’m not thinking about it.”
And then, it comes! You’re eating supper with your family 5 hours later and you slam your fist on the table with a smile “AAH!! It’s Jennifer!”
That’s your subconscious at work. So, basically, you can give your subconscious mind any problem to solve – and as long as you have a good relationship with yourself – it will solve it.
Because that’s what the subconscious mind is – it’s your true self.
But, what does all of this mean? The title of this is How Does What I Listen To Affect Me? Well, every single piece of information we’ve ever come across – I mean literally everything – is in your mind.
I’m talking partially overhearing a conversation, something you see in your peripheral, the smell of your neighbours horrible cooking – everything. And not just recently. Literally since you were born – everything is in there.
It’s been found that the conscious mind is only capable of processing information at 50 bits per second. What about the subconscious? I don’t think you’re ready for this… The subconscious mind can process 11 million bits per second.
It’s almost incomprehensible. That literally means that millions of pieces of information are entering your mind at one time – and we wonder why we have “ADHD” and other behavioural disorders – in the age of information.
We take in information all day – and that’s just outside, in the real world. Then we open our phones and holy shit, I’m overwhelmed.
So, as a species – we’re faced with a problem. How the hell are we supposed to take in all of this information, process it, and then still find the energy to accomplish anything? It’s almost impossible.
Unless you make a conscious choice – so I’m giving you a choice to make right now.
Here we go – getting to the whole heart of the matter. Please, for the sake of everyone you know and for the sake of everyone that you’ll ever know – control the flow of information you receive.
If you’re able to do this, then you’ll dramatically improve the use of your subconscious mind. You’ll be able to live the life you want to live – and you’ll pass that on to everyone around you.
We’re living in the best time possible. We have all of the information that has ever existed at our fingertips. So how will we use it?
To Your Success,
Jay Ashcroft
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