Blondie released the song, “One Way or Another” in 1978. It is a catchy tune. Sometimes we get a song in our brain and it lives with us for longer than a few minutes. A few days ago this tune came out of nowhere and inhabited my brain for the better part of that day and the beginning of the next.
I am not a singer, but I do sing along with songs at home or in the car. It is amazing how memories of songs place me at certain times in my life. I can remember lyrics from decades ago without having heard that song since the ‘60s, ‘70s, or ‘80s. I am sure there are a great many people with that same ability.
No Matter What You Can Do It was my first book. It is based on Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s book, Psychocybernetics, first published in 1960. Dr. Maltz was a cosmetic surgeon and was curious why a few people could still see their ugly scars after nearly perfect reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.
He explored the subconscious mind and determined that self-image is the cornerstone of our mental state. Our self-image, self-talk, and imagination determine the successes and failures of our lives. Little was known about how our subconscious mind worked back in the ‘60s.
I was overwhelmed at the simplicity of how we think and why we fail. I wrote my book based on some of the concepts of those ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ from Psychocybernetics. If you want insight into why you fail at the same goal every time you attempt it (like losing weight for example), you should consider reading Dr. Maltz’s book – or buy my book!
Additionally, if you want to learn how to break that habit of failure, his book also gives you that insight. Our subconscious mind has one prime directive – that is to allow no harm to come to us. We touch a hot stove as a child and that moment is indelibly ingrained in our brain not to do it again.
Events that happen to us that have emotions attached to them are stored in our brains front and center for easy retrieval. The emotional attachment (the physical burning sensation from a hot stove for example) is one of the tricks we can use to conquer failure or achieve something we have never experienced before. Our subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and imagined!
Vince Poscente is an extraordinary motivational speaker. He used Dr. Maltz’s principles to make it to the gold-medal round at the 1992 Olympics in a new sport that had not been in existence in previous Olympics. InVINCEable Principles and The Ant and the Elephant are two of his books I strongly recommend for those seeking success in any endeavor of your lives.
Our subconscious mind knows the present and has no concept of the future. Every experience thought, and sensation that we have lived (24.7) is stored in our subconscious mind.
When you might say, “I will…” anything, that phrase is foreign to our subconscious mind. Our conscious brain knows what it means, but it has no relevance to our subconscious mind – the real power behind our throne.
The analogy of an ant and an elephant describes the difference between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The ant represents the conscious mind. The elephant is the subconscious mind. The ant speaks ant language and it is not understood by the elephant. Both see the same things, but the elephant remembers more than the ant. The relative difference in the size of the ant and the elephant also represents the number of neurons actively working in our brains.
Likewise, our subconscious mind responds to different words than our conscious mind. Wants and Needs are conscious brain words. We know what they are and what they mean. However, our subconscious mind does not know how to process those words into actions.
Words, like Expect and Intend, are far stronger words for the subconscious mind to work with to achieve your goals. I want to lose twenty pounds by Christmas is a typical goal. It is personal, has a specific action, and a time. It is what many self-help advisors tell us our goals must use. ‘I want’ does not translate to the action taker in our brain – our subconscious mind. Christmas is a future concept and not easily translated into action by the subconscious mind.
There are many things that can be delved into in this article, but I want to return to the title – One Way or Another. A way to supercharge your expectation to achieve a goal is to add the phrase – No Matter What!
The subconscious mind works 24/7 to solve problems for you. I find that running or driving allows my mind to wander and it is amazing how many times a solution will pop into my brain that I needed to solve a problem.
Enter the phrase into those special expectations you desire. Do not say, I want to lose twenty pounds by Christmas. Say something instead like, I expect to eat healthily, exercise, and lose weight NO MATTER WHAT! Expectation talks to the subconscious mind. There is no future element – it is all present tense. And the imperative of No Matter What puts that problem on steroids for the subconscious mind to solve.
What if we added another imperative to our expectations? Incorporate One Way or Another into, I expect to eat healthily, exercise, and lose weight NO MATTER WHAT! This pandemic will be with us for months to come. Why not take advantage of your subconscious mind to work for you!
We certainly have a true reason for good things to be in our future – No Matter What – regardless of whether it is One Way or Another!
Life Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com
