Let your unconscious mind do the hard work
The mind is very similar to a computer. Imagine the conscious mind being RAM, which has little storage space in comparison to the unconscious mind which is like the hard drive and has enormous storage space. It is therefore very important that we transfer skills over from our conscious mind, which has relatively limited space, to our unconscious mind.
To do this, we must pass through 4 learning stages:
1. Unconscious incompetence
Unconscious incompetence means that you are unconsciously unaware of what you want to do and therefore you have no clue whether you are incompetent and able to do it or not. This situation would apply to anyone who wasn’t happy with their life, but just had accepted it as being their lot.
2. Conscious incompetence
Conscious incompetence is when you consciously realise that there is something that you want to learn about or change, but you are incompetent or not sure how to do it. For example, as you are reading this blog, you know that life can be how you want it, but right now you are not exactly sure how to change it. This learning step can prove more frustrating than the first, as you have just discovered something that you currently cannot do.
3. Conscious competence
Conscious competence is when you know consciously what you want to achieve and also that when you do it you are competent at it (like remembering to be positive for example) which is fantastic. The only problem is that you have to remind yourself to competently do it. The drawback with this is that our conscious mind can only cope with so much. If you are working, drinking a cup of tea, thinking about what you did last night, thinking about your problems and someone is distracting you with their conversation and all the time you are trying to remind yourself to stay positive, your brain could start to get rather overloaded!
4. Unconscious competence
Unconscious competence is where you need to be! This is when your unconscious mind can do what you want competently, without you having to do a think about it.
We have a passion for cars. Imagine therefore, how important it was for me to be able to drive. Wow, it was as if my life depended on it! However, my first lesson (conscious incompetence) was a complete disaster. My brain went into overload. How could I be expected to turn the steering wheel with both hands, then take one off to change gears, whilst simultaneously pressing the clutch and putting my other foot on the accelerator, whilst keeping it ready to cover the break in addition to watching where I was driving AND looking in three mirrors at once. Aaaaargh! I remember thinking that I would NEVER be able to drive.
This was a great example of progression for me, because I then looked at people getting in and out of their cars and I compared myself to them. I found myself saying “What am I talking about? If they can do it, so can I!” In fact, we now use the term POSSIBLE IN THE WORLD THEN POSSIBLE FOR ME! Please believe us that this statement can relate to anything. Needless to say, I passed my test, and am now unconsciously competent at driving. So much so that some years ago I remember driving one of my cars while speaking on my phone, drinking a bottle of water and steering with my knees! (Ooops).
I am sure that you will have experienced something that you thought you could never do and yet now you do it without hesitation and virtually without thinking.
