To understand why you can’t change things with willpower, it’s imperative to know how our mind works. You can think of your mind as an iceberg. The tip above the water is your conscious mind, the iceberg below your subconscious mind.
What is willpower?
Willpower is part of the conscious part of our mind. This part has the function of thinking critically and well about things. It can analyze and pick up new ideas. The conscious part is used in talking, thinking logically, planning, and making decisions. And although we often think that this is the leader in our lives, nothing could be further from the truth…
The limited power of the conscious
Because… the conscious has very limited power. Our conscious mind is now said to be only responsible for 2 to 5% of our day. That’s waaaay less than we give ourselves credit for! When we know this it’s not strange that we do not succeed to change behavior on willpower or perseverance.
In fact, our ratio is only capable of processing 60 bits per second, as opposed to the subconscious which can process more than 11 million bits per second.
When you sleep, your conscious part also rests for a while and only subconscious processes take place. And also everything you do automatically, the conscious part has no part in. And that’s quite a lot. From getting up and getting dressed, to driving a car, eating, working, digesting, exercising, and so on.
The function of the conscious
The strong part of the conscious mind is that it can sift through data and think of new things. And that is of course one of the most important parts when it comes to change. The subconscious cannot think of anything new, it runs entirely on what is already stored there, on automatism, habits, and programs that have already been created in your youth.
If you want to change and improve something in your life, it always starts with your conscious mind. The conscious get a sense of something better and wants/prefers this to how it is now. However, if you implement this without informing your subconscious, you will only have 2-5% support from your mind. Only on willpower and perseverance you simply do not get there! That’s not because you’re a slacker, that’s just how our system works. We give our ratio far too much power in this society. The real power is in your subconscious. That’s the engine, your conscious mind is the steering wheel.
Why do we need conscious and subconscious together
The problem often starts when we want to implement the new plan. With our conscious part, we can easily think and analyze why this would be good in our lives. However, when we start doing this, we often see ourselves sabotaging our own behavior. You start with willpower and perseverance, but after a few days (sometimes even hours) you stop yourself, you let it go and the subconscious takes charge again. And that is often very disappointing. This often gives us the idea that we are weak. But it has nothing to do with that.
It’s because your good ideas are overwritten by your subconscious mind. Which runs on habits and automatism and is in charge for at least 95% of the day. That’s why it’s so important to let new ideas and resolutions be accepted in your subconscious first. So that you get 100% of the support you need from your entire mind.
This does not happen by itself. Your conscious and subconscious are not just in contact with each other. You need a process in which your ideas and plans reach your subconscious. So that all heads go in the same direction
PSYCH-K is one such process. Simple, fast and laser-focused. Isn’t that just good to know?
