The conscious mind is ~10% of thinking; the subconscious ≥90% and operates ~30,000 times faster. Metaphor: the conscious mind is the gardener, the subconscious is the garden — it grows whatever is planted, weeds or flowers.
Conscious mind
- Objective, rational, discriminating; holds one thought at a time; binary (accept/reject).
- Four functions (illustrated by crossing a street): (1) identify incoming data, (2) compare against past experience, (3) analyze, (4) decide.
Subconscious mind
- Subjective; obeys commands; no independent thought; seat of all memory (the conscious mind has none); a massive data bank.
- Activated by emotion — the stronger the emotion, the faster it responds.
- Keeps your words, actions, body language, and energy consistent with your self-concept and dominant goals (Law of Subconscious Activity).
- Cannot tell the difference between a real experience and one vividly imagined — the basis of all visualization technique (Programming Your Mind for Success).
The three operating laws
- Law of Subconscious Activity — whatever you plant, it works to bring into reality.
- Law of Concentration — whatever you dwell upon grows.
- Law of Substitution — the mind holds one thought at a time: replace a fear thought by knocking it out with a desire thought. This explains "the rich get richer": the rich dwell on wealth, the poor dwell on lack.
The master principle
Success begins with purposeful, systematic control of the content of your conscious mind — most simply by repeating "I like myself."