“Why’d you do that?”
You’d reply, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You know better.”
“I know.”
“So, why’d you do it?”
“I don’t know.”
That kind of conversation probably leaves us with the idea that we should do it because we know how to do better.
However, this logic is missing a critical point.
Out of Sync
We were never taught that the “knowing” and “doing” parts of us are separate.
Our conscious mind is the part of our personality that gathers information (the knowing part). However, it is the subconscious mind that causes the action (the doing). So, what we know how to do is not always in sync with the part of our mind that controls what we do habitually.
What causes this gap?
One thing—paradigms.
What They Are
A paradigm can be likened to a program that has been installed in your subconscious mind. It’s a mental program that has almost exclusive control over your habitual behavior.
When you think about it, you’ll realize that virtually all of your behavior is part of a routine. For instance, you follow a routine when you get up in the morning and go to bed at night. And the way you eat, exercise, work, relax and the time you wake up and go to sleep are all habits.
Where They Come From
Although everyone has a paradigm, most of us don’t create it ourselves. We inherited it through our genetic and environmental conditioning.
For example, you were programmed by your parent’s and ancestors’ DNA and of their beliefs—going back for generations.
And that’s not all.
When you were a young child, any ideas you were exposed to repeatedly were like seeds being planted in the fertile soil of your subconscious mind because you could not reject anything. Those ideas took root and became part of the paradigm that controls every aspect of your life.
Unfortunately, we’re not taught about paradigms in school. So, we go 20… 30… 40… 60 years living the same way we were programmed as little kids.
What They Control
I’ve already explained that paradigms largely control our habitual behavior.
Now, let’s look at some other aspects of your life that your paradigm has enormous influence over. It controls your…
- Perception
- Use of time
- Creativity
- Effectiveness
- Productivity
- Logic
- Ability to earn money
The paradigm puts a box around every one of those areas, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t knock down the walls until you change the mental program.
How to Identify Yours
Changing your paradigm could set you free from the constraints that keep you from realizing your full potential and all the good you desire.
However, you cannot be free until you know exactly what currently governs, shapes, and directs your thoughts, and ultimately, your behavior and results.
To help you identify your paradigm, I encourage you to take some time to get a clear picture of your life by answering the following questions:
1. What characteristics were passed on to you from your mother’s side of the family?
2. What characteristics were passed on to you from your father’s side of the family?
3. In the early part of your life, was your family wealthy, middle class, or poor? Did both of your parents work?
4. Think about where you are in life—right now. Your work, finances, relationships, health, family, state of mind. In general, how would you characterize your life today?
5. What’s your current income? What’s the most you’ve earned in a year?
6. With the knowledge you presently have, what do you believe you could earn if you gave your absolute best?
7. What’s the biggest and most exciting goal you’ve ever achieved?
8. Describe your morning routine.
9. Are you genuinely enthusiastic about how you spend your days? If you are not, what would you rather be doing?
10. Name the six people with whom you spend the most time. If you have or had children, would you want them to grow up like these six people? Explain why or why not?
Answering these and similar questions will help you zero in on your paradigm and identify what’s controlling the results you are getting in your life.
Want Better Results?
If you’re not happy with the results you’re getting in life, and you’d like to do better, you CAN change your paradigm.
However, you won’t be able to do it with self-will alone. In fact, there are only two ways to do it.
One is an emotional impact. That is when something hits you so hard that your life will never be the same. It’s usually negative in nature, but it can also be something that is positive.
The second way is to change the paradigm in the same manner it was formed—through repetition of ideas. It is exposing yourself to a new idea over and over again, intending to replace an old belief(s) that is in your subconscious mind.
Choose A New One
A paradigm is a multitude of ideas that are programmed in our subconscious mind that we act on without giving it any thought.
Use your answers to the questions above to identify the paradigm you wish to change, understanding that changing just a small part of the old paradigm can make an enormous difference in the results you enjoy in every area of your life.
A great way to start is to consciously replace a “bad” habit with a practice that will create better results, the results you want. Otherwise, you might form another bad habit to take the old habit’s place.
Also, use your answers to the questions above to identify limiting beliefs. Then, choose a new idea aligned with the results you want and the habits that will lead you to where you want to go.
Impress your new idea—by focusing on it, visualizing it, and reading or saying it with feeling—on your subconscious mind repetitively.
I know you will agree that life can and should be a tremendously enthusiastic adventure. No more effort or energy is required to aim high in life—to demand abundance and prosperity—than is required to accept misery and poverty. So, don’t be afraid to step out of the box to do something entirely different.
Treat these suggestions with the seriousness and care they deserve. It’s your life and your future. Your potential is infinite. Go for a change that is big, bold, and beautiful.
To more and better,
Sandy Gallagher
