Does it ever seem like the whole world is against you? Nothings seems to be working, but you don’t know why.
This is a common challenge that points to an important life coaching skill. Sometimes, the obstacles that block our paths to the best possible life aren’t caused by the outside world. Surprisingly, some obstacles are caused by our own selves – our own minds to be precise. There are two parts of the mind: the conscious and the subconscious.
The conscious mind is responsible for the many things you choose to do, whether it’s deciding to take the bus, brush your teeth or watch a movie. The subconscious on the other hand, is the part you are not aware of, and unknown to you, it controls much of your behavior.
Here’s an example.
When you first learn how to drive a car, your conscious mind is doing most of the work. You’re thinking about pressing the clutch when changing gears, steering the wheel properly so you won’t crash and hitting on the brakes when you’re going too fast.
After a while, driving takes less and less of your attention. Until finally, it’s like you’re on autopilot when you drive. You don’t need to think about every move. Why is this so? Your unconscious, which is much like a computer running programs, takes over. It has successfully been programmed by the conscious part of your mind.
Do you engage in Negative Self-talk?
This is where unconscious programming becomes critical. If you are telling yourself “I can’t do this” or “I’ll never be good enough,” what are you producing? The repetition of these kinds of thoughts creates negative programming in your subconscious mind. It has learned to dwell on negative thoughts without you even being aware. And if you understand the power of your thoughts, this is not good. As Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested,
“You become what you think about all day long.”
This is an essential key for becoming an effective life coach, because by focusing on what you want rather than on what you don’t want, you are well on the way to creating a wonderful life. And being the best coach with clients starts with you. You can’t take others to places you haven’t gone yourself.
Two ways to reprogram your subconscious (and assist your coaching clients in making the best use of their minds) is to engage in positive self-talk and visualize your new positive life as if it’s yours now. Through positive self-talk, you also build confidence in the life you are creating. By visualizing your new positive life, you are envisioning a dream you can work toward and accomplish.
Subconscious Reprogramming is critical to your success as a life coach because you’re reprogramming your mind to the conditions that will enable you (and your clients) to stay positive, even in challenging situations, and continue forward to make your dreams come true.