Who's In Charge?

I think we can all agree that we have two minds, right?

One, the subconscious, is the dumb worker. It keeps the heart pumping, the lungs working, the digestive system turning cheeseburgers into hair and skin and toenails.

The conscious mind is the boss, the one that decides what needs to be done.

When the conscious mind -- the one we think of when we think of our "selves" -- says, "drive the car to work," the subconscious mind says, "Okay." It takes care of turning the steering wheel and stepping on the brake and checking the rear view mirror for traffic cops while "you" listen to the radio or make plans for what you're going to do when you get to where you're going.

By the same token, though, when you consciously say in your conscious mind, "I'm no good," or "I'm stupid," the subconscious doesn't know you're kidding or that you're just feeling frustrated or angry at the time. It simply accepts your judgment and says, "Okay," then goes ahead and does no good or stupid things.

So be careful what you put in your subconscious. You may not like what you get back.

By then it's too late to say, "Just kidding!"


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