BE AWARE OF

BE AWARE OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS

By Marsha Shackleford

Ilove to travel! It’s a beautiful way to experience yourself and life in a different, more expansive way. While visiting Playa Del Carmen, Mexico I went snorkeling in the wondrous Chikin Ha Cenote. I’m not a strong swimmer, so I was both fearful and curious about what magic the cave and its water held. I eased into the water timidly. Then I saw a rope that I could hold onto. I put my snorkel mask on and swam towards the rope. At first, I had trouble breathing with the snorkel mask on, but I realized that I was holding my breath as soon as I went under water, out of fear.

Once I started holding the rope, I became less fearful. Then I kept my head underwater a little longer, while still holding tight to the rope. At times, I would even hold on with both hands. Once I relaxed my breathing, I held the rope looser with one hand. Relaxed breathing became more natural, and I found myself becoming immersed in the beauty underwater. I eventually released my hand from the rope absentmindedly. I noticed myself doing that more and I began letting go on purpose but keeping close to the rope. As I got closer to the other side of the cenote, I became more confident and began deliberately swimming away from the rope.

“Change the way you see things and the things you see will change.” ~Wayne Dyer, Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life

Once I left my safety net, I began to see the beauty underwater more clearly. Once I got to the other side, I quickly dove back in to see where I’d been with clearer eyes. Eyes free of fear. Swimming back everything was so beautiful I would only lift my head periodically if I was unsure of the direction I was headed. I would quickly put it back underwater so I wouldn’t miss anything because I’d missed a lot the first time around. I saw so much more on the way back that I decided to take another dive. This last time I really explored. I started looking into crevices. I saw colors I hadn’t noticed before. Light. Shadows. Darkness. And all was beautiful.

I learned a valuable life lesson in that cenote cave. You can never see the full beauty of something if you’re fearful of it. We are living in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. We are inundated with news of tragedies. And many are still experiencing isolation. Fear has almost become a way of life. None of this is normal. The human mind can only take so much. Our nervous systems are not equipped to handle the constant stream of fear we are collectively experiencing.

“Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.” ~ James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

Pay attention to what you feed your mind. Your conscious mind, thinking mind, is the guardian of the gate to your subconscious mind. Information that we consume through our five senses enters our subconscious mind. And we then involuntarily act from our subconscious. This is why it can be difficult to break a habit or why we sometimes act in ways that do not serve us. The conscious mind controls what enters our mind. Our subconscious mind drives our actions and emotions.

It’s extremely important to be mindful about the entertainment you consume and conversations you entertain. The music we listen to, the news, television shows, YouTube videos, social me-

“ YOU CAN NEVER SEE THE FULL BEAUTY OF SOMETHING IF YOU'RE FEARFUL OF IT.”

dia, people we converse with, all shape our subconscious mind and inner world. About 95% of our thoughts are derived from the subconscious. Pay attention to your thoughts and speech. Your thoughts and words are spells that manifest in the outer world.

Know that you are the creator and author of your life. You create your life experience with your thoughts. Thoughts you repeatedly think become beliefs. Beliefs determine your actions and how you perceive the world around you. Your actions create your experience. And your perceptions become your reality.

What are you feeding your mind, body and spirit?

Do your entertainment choices and conversations inspire you and motivate you to take the right actions? Or do they numb you, dumb you down and inspire fear?

Are you consciously creating your life experience or are you allowing your thoughts, therefore your life, to be shaped by outside influences?

There are no wrong answers to these questions. They’re meant to spark awareness. Be honest with yourself as you assess your inputs. You must know where and who you are in the present moment in order to make positive changes for the better. And with awareness comes the power to make new, more empowering choices.

Courageous Conversations

Life Coach, Facilitator & Counselor

Dr. Michelle Mitcham, LMHC-QS, NCC, CCMHC, CFM

DRMICHELLEMITCHAM.COM

CALL FOR FREE PHONE CONSULTATION (850) 296-8801

Dr. Michelle A. Mitcham is thrilled to empower women, teams and individuals with strategies for success in both the workplace and relationships. As CEO of Courageous Conversations, a counseling, coaching, and consulting practice, Dr, Mitcham coaches on leadership, workplace resilience, emotional intelligence, imposter syndrome, relationship building, women’s empowerment, diversity, equity and inclusion, conflict resolution, mindfulness, and team building.