Have you ever set a bold goal, starting a business, getting fit, or writing a novel, only to find that your subconscious mind derails your progress with self-doubt or procrastination? You’re not alone. Neuroscience expert John Assaraf, featured on Brad Sugars’ Big Success Podcast, reveals the immense power of your subconscious mind, which drives 95% of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Think of it as an autopilot, steering your life based on deeply ingrained subconscious patterns. Assaraf’s journey of self-discovery proves the power of the subconscious mind: raised in a home scarred by financial struggles and his father’s gambling, he turned to illegal activities as a teen to escape poverty. Yet, by learning to reprogram his subconscious mind through neuroscience-backed innercises, he built a real estate empire generating $4.5 billion in sales.
In this guide, we distill Assaraf’s insights into three powerful keys to train your subconscious mind and get what you want. Whether you’re an entrepreneur scaling a startup, a professional chasing a promotion, or someone pursuing personal and professional growth, these strategies will help you reprogram your conscious and subconscious to align your thoughts with your ambitions for predictable success. By understanding how to reprogram your subconscious mind, using techniques to reprogram your subconscious, and managing emotional barriers, you can transform fleeting motivation into lasting achievement. This article offers actionable steps to harness the power of your subconscious mind and reshape your path to the life you want to live.
Key 1: Understand Your Subconscious Mind’s Role
The Autopilot Shaping Your Decisions
Your subconscious mind is the silent engine of your brain, controlling 95% of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. As Assaraf states, “The subconscious mind controls 95% of our thoughts, our emotions, and our behavior.” Rooted in neuroscience, this part of the mind is a web of learned patterns formed by your past experiences, upbringing, and environment. These thoughts and beliefs (including limiting beliefs, fears, and self-image) act like software, running automatically to shape how you respond to challenges.
Assaraf shares a profound insight: no one is born with beliefs or fears. “Were any of the 108 billion humans born with any beliefs? Nope,” he says. Instead, they’re shaped through repetition. For example, growing up hearing that money is scarce can embed limiting beliefs, causing you to shy away from financial risks or undervalue your services. Assaraf’s childhood, marked by his father’s gambling and family fights over money, instilled a fear of poverty that drove him to illegal activities as a teen. These subconscious patterns are like outdated code, running unless you take the first step in taking control by reprogramming the subconscious mind.
The Power of Neuroplasticity
Your brain is malleable, thanks to neuroplasticity, the ability to form new neural connections and deactivate old ones. Studies show that consistent practice over 30 to 60 days can reshape neural pathways, making new behaviors automatic. Assaraf’s transformation illustrates this powerful tool: guided by his mentor’s question, “Are you interested or committed?” he began reprogramming his subconscious mind to shift from a scarcity-driven identity to one of abundance. At 19, he set a goal to earn $10,000 a month, a leap from his father’s $25,000 annual income. By studying real estate, seeking mentorship, and adopting new thoughts and beliefs, he earned $150,000 in his first full year, achieving his goal.
Why Your Subconscious Resists Change
The subconscious mind’s priority is survival, avoiding pain (real or imagined), conserving energy, and seeking pleasure. When you set a big goal, like launching a startup, your subconscious might perceive it as a threat, triggering fear or doubt. For example, a freelancer might avoid raising rates because their unconscious mind equates rejection with pain, even if their conscious awareness knows it’s necessary. Assaraf calls this the “Frankenstein monster” part of the mind, an early warning system that can trap you in limiting beliefs. Understanding how to reprogram this dynamic is the first key to taking control and training your subconscious to work for you.
Key 2: Rewire Your Subconscious with Innercises
Mental Exercises to Build a Success Mindset
To reprogram your subconscious mind, Assaraf uses innercises, mental exercises that strengthen your mindset, like physical exercises build muscle. “You can exercise your biceps, why not do three or four or five different innercises around my beliefs, my vision, and my goals?” he asks. These techniques to reprogram your subconscious leverage neuroplasticity to replace limiting beliefs with positive and empowering affirmations, making achieving your goal feel natural.
Assaraf has practiced innercises for 43 years, incorporating them into his daily routine, including:
- Positive Affirmations: Statements like “I am confident and attract opportunities” reinforce new beliefs. By emotionalizing them, Assaraf strengthens neural connections, a process backed by neuroscience showing that emotional repetition enhances memory consolidation. This helped him reprogram his mindset from scarcity to a billionaire entrepreneur.
- Visualization: Imagining a goal as achieved, engaging all senses. Assaraf visualized closing real estate deals, priming his brain to manifest success. Studies show visualization activates the same brain regions, like the prefrontal cortex, as real experiences, making goals feel achievable.
- Mental Contrasting: Pairing visualization with planning for obstacles. For instance, an entrepreneur might visualize signing a client but also plan for rejection fears by practicing their pitch, reducing resistance from the subconscious mind.
Real-World Impact of Innercises
Assaraf’s app, with over 500 exercises for health, wealth, and leadership, makes these techniques to reprogram your subconscious accessible, developed after charging $25,000 for customized programs for athletes and CEOs. His six-month training sessions with 75 real estate agents, who increased sales by $100 million, prove their motivational power. One agent overcame a fear of cold calling by visualizing successful client interactions, boosting their income by 50% in months. Similarly, a writer named Emma used daily visualization to imagine publishing her novel, paired with writing 200 words daily as part of her daily routine, completing her draft in six months.
Building Habits Through Innercises
Innercises foster habits, which Assaraf says control 95% of your day. “What is a habit? Nothing more than a set of automatic processes,” he notes. By pairing innercises with small actions, like studying sales techniques daily, Assaraf earned $62,000 in his first six months in real estate. For a student, visualizing acing an exam while studying 30 minutes daily builds a success-driven habit. Assaraf’s app tracks innercise usage, reinforcing consistency, much like his agents used weekly training sessions to sustain momentum and manifest success.
Expanding Your Innercise Toolkit
Beyond core innercises, Assaraf suggests journaling to reinforce new thoughts and beliefs. A teacher struggling with classroom stress might journal daily wins, like engaging students, to build confidence. Self-hypnosis, where you relax deeply and repeat positive affirmations, embeds them in the unconscious mind. Assaraf used this to prepare for high-pressure real estate deals. Another technique, gratitude practice, involves listing three things you’re grateful for daily, helping to reprogram your subconscious mind to focus on abundance. A nurse used gratitude to shift from burnout to optimism, improving patient interactions.
Key 3: Master Emotional Barriers to Unlock Action
Navigating Your Brain’s Protective Instincts
Your subconscious mind acts as an early warning system, designed to keep you safe. Assaraf explains its priorities: “The number one priority of the human species is survival, number two is to avoid any pain or discomfort, whether it’s real or imagined.” When you set a big goal, like scaling a startup or running a marathon, your subconscious mind may perceive it as risky, triggering fear, doubt, or stress. These emotions can lead to procrastination or avoidance, like skipping a networking event due to fear of rejection.
Assaraf offers neuroscience-backed tools to influence your subconscious and build emotional resilience. The Take Six innercise involves six slow, deep breaths, exhaling longer than inhaling, to calm the stress circuit in 60 seconds. The physiological sigh, two quick nasal inhales followed by a long exhale, resets your nervous system in 30 seconds. “It’s just a circuit,” he says, emphasizing that fear is a signal you can deactivate. He used these techniques to push past doubts when scaling Remax Indiana from a $1.2 billion plateau to $4.5 billion in three years, achieving his goal.
Balancing Stress and Excitement
Assaraf highlights the importance of balancing stress and excitement. A cocktail of stress, cortisol, and dopamine from anticipating rewards fuels motivational drive. At 19, his goal to earn $10,000 a month sparked both fear and excitement, driving him to earn $62,000 in six months. To replicate this, focus on your goals’ rewards (financial freedom, personal pride) and use innercises to reinforce them. For example, a student visualizing acing an exam can boost study motivation, while an entrepreneur picturing a successful pitch can overcome fear of failure to get what they want.
Overcoming Specific Barriers
- Fear of Failure: Use mental contrasting to plan for setbacks. If you fear a failed presentation, rehearse it 10 times to build confidence and give yourself permission to succeed.
- Procrastination: Break tasks into small steps, like 15 minutes of work daily, to reduce overwhelm and train your subconscious mind.
- Self-Doubt: Repeat empowering affirmations like “I am confident and capable of growth” to reshape your self-image.
- Impostor Syndrome: Visualize past successes to counter feelings of unworthiness, as Assaraf’s CEO client did, doubling their company’s revenue in a year.
Advanced Emotional Management
Assaraf recommends mindfulness to observe emotions without judgment. A salesperson feeling anxious before a pitch can pause, label the emotion as fear, and use the physiological sigh to reset. This helped Assaraf stay calm during high-pressure negotiations, like securing a major real estate deal. Regular meditation, even 5 minutes part of your daily routine, lowers stress hormones, enhancing emotional resilience. A nurse used meditation to manage long shifts, improving focus and patient care.
Expanded Insights: Applying the 3 Keys in Everyday Life
Success Stories Across Domains
The three keys have transformed countless lives. Assaraf’s 100,000-plus students, from entrepreneurs to students, have used them to manifest success. A small business owner named Priya applied Key 1 to identify a limiting belief that “marketing is too hard,” then used Key 2’s positive affirmations to build confidence in digital campaigns. Key 3’s breathing techniques helped her manage pitch anxiety, leading to a 30% revenue increase in six months. A marathon runner used visualization to overcome fears of injury, completing their first race. A parent struggling with patience used empowering affirmations to foster calm, improving family dynamics and personal growth.
Neuroscience Deep Dive
Neuroplasticity drives these keys. Each positive affirmation or visualization strengthens neural pathways, making success-oriented behaviour automatic. Studies show that 30 to 60 days of practice can solidify new pathways, reducing resistance from the subconscious mind. Assaraf’s 43-year practice of reprogramming his subconscious mind rewired his brain from scarcity to abundance, enabling him to scale Remax Indiana after two prior failures. Neuroimaging research confirms that visualization activates the brain’s reward centers, boosting motivation, while breathing exercises like the physiological sigh reduce cortisol levels, calming stress responses.
Scaling to Any Goal
These keys apply to any ambition. A freelancer might visualize landing high-paying clients, using Key 3 to manage rejection fears. A student could use empowering affirmations to ace exams. Assaraf’s mentor’s question, “Are you interested or committed?” is universal. Commitment means persisting through doubts, as Assaraf did when he owed his sister $177,000 but set a $250,000 income goal, achieving it at 23. His later goal to generate $1 billion in sales with Remax, achieved in five years, shows how to use your subconscious to scale ambitions.
Building Long-Term Habits
Habits are crucial for sustaining progress. Assaraf’s daily learning habit, studying real estate listings, built his early success. For readers, pairing innercises with small actions, like 15 minutes of skill-building daily, creates automatic subconscious patterns. Tracking progress with a journal or Assaraf’s app reinforces commitment, mirroring how his 75 agents used training sessions to boost sales by $100 million. A graphic designer committed to 20 minutes of portfolio work daily, using visualization to stay motivated, doubling their client base in a year.
Overcoming Common Pitfalls
Many fail to sustain change due to inconsistent practice. Assaraf stresses starting small: “Reduce it to the ridiculously small so you can develop the belief that I finish what I start.” A blogger might commit to writing one paragraph daily, using self-talk to counter perfectionism, and building a consistent posting schedule over months. Another pitfall is expecting instant results. Assaraf’s 43-year journey of self-discovery shows that persistence drives transformation. Regular check-ins, like weekly goal reviews, keep your subconscious on track.
Integrating Innercises into Daily Life
To make innercises a habit, tie them to your daily routine. Practice positive affirmations while brushing your teeth or visualize goals during your morning coffee. Assaraf’s agents paired innercises with daily sales calls, embedding new thoughts and beliefs into their workflow. A nurse named Alex used the physiological sigh during breaks, improving patient interactions. A musician aiming to perform publicly used visualization before rehearsals, overcoming stage fright to book their first gig, and see the opportunities for growth.
Combining Keys for Maximum Impact
Using all three keys together amplifies results. A startup founder might identify a limiting belief (“I can’t scale my business”), use empowering affirmations to build confidence, and practice the physiological sigh before investor pitches. This approach helped Assaraf turn around a failing Remax office, growing it to $4.5 billion in sales. A student combining visualization with small study habits and mindfulness passed a challenging exam, boosting their GPA and personal growth.
Conclusion: Start Training Your Subconscious Today
Training the subconscious mind is the secret to manifesting success and living the life you want. John Assaraf’s journey of self-discovery, from a teen escaping poverty to a neuroscience expert leading a $4.5 billion real estate empire, shows the power of your subconscious mind as a powerful tool. These three keys, understanding how to reprogram its role, reprogramming your subconscious mind with innercises, and mastering emotional barriers, leverage neuroplasticity to align your thoughts with your goals. As Assaraf says, “You will never outperform your hidden self-image of yourself.” By reprogramming the subconscious, you unlock your full potential.
Start training your subconscious today. Write three positive affirmations, practice a 10-minute visualization, or try the physiological sigh for a week. Assaraf’s 75 agents, who increased sales by $100 million, prove these tools work. Whether you’re building a business, pursuing fitness, or seeking personal and professional growth, surround yourself with people who support your vision and ask: Are you interested or committed? Your subconscious mind is ready to be your ally. Program your subconscious now, and watch your goals become the life you want to live.
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FAQ: Common Questions About Taming Your Subconscious Mind
- What is the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind in achieving goals?
The conscious and subconscious minds play distinct roles. Your conscious awareness sets goals and makes decisions, but the subconscious mind controls 95% of your behaviour through ingrained subconscious patterns. Reprogramming your subconscious mind aligns these patterns with your goals to manifest success. - Why does my subconscious mind resist big goals?
Your subconscious mind may resist big goals because it prioritizes survival and avoids discomfort, as Assaraf explains. Limiting beliefs from past experiences can trigger fear or doubt, but techniques to reprogram your subconscious, like visualization, can reshape these patterns to support achieving your goal. - How can positive affirmations help train my subconscious?
Positive and empowering affirmations, such as “I am confident and capable,” strengthen neural pathways through repetition, leveraging neuroplasticity. Assaraf’s daily self-talk helped him reprogram his mindset to build a $4.5 billion empire, making subconscious reprogramming a powerful tool for success. - What role does visualization play in programming the subconscious mind?
Visualization involves vividly imagining your goals, like closing a deal or achieving your goal, to say your goals with clarity. It activates brain regions like the prefrontal cortex, as neuroscience shows, helping you use your subconscious to see the opportunities and manifest success. - How can I make reprogramming my subconscious a daily habit?
Incorporate innercises like positive affirmations and visualization into your daily routine, such as during morning coffee. Assaraf’s agents embedded training sessions into their workflow, boosting sales by $100 million. Consistency helps program your subconscious to create opportunities for growth and the life you want.
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