Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Why don't I have the life that I dreamed of as a child'? Why don't I have more money, better health or, well, you fill in the blank. Many people today are searching for the answers to these questions. They want change but are unaware of how to implement changes. I was one of these people.

In my search for answers, I came across information about the mind and how it really works. There are two aspects to the mind, the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. When most people think about the mind, they picture the brain. The thinking mind is much more than that. The conscious mind is sometimes referred to as the rational mind. It gathers information through sensory input. The subconscious mind gathers information through emotional input.

The conscious mind can accept or reject any idea. The conscious mind uses the five senses to accept or reject information. We have the ability to decide if we believe something to be fact or fiction through the use of the conscious mind. We also have the ability to change what we believe at the conscious level. Have you ever repeated a saying that you heard as a child without really understanding the emotional connection to that saying? I sure have! I grew up in a lower middle class environment where money was not abundant. I remember my mother saying, ‘money doesn't grow on trees', many times. As an adult I repeated this saying because I believed that you must work hard and save your money to live a satisfying life. Because I believed this, my conscious mind accepted it as fact. Be careful what you accept as fact!

Now let's move to the subconscious mind. This area is sometimes referred to as the emotional mind or intuitive mind. This area has no ability to reject any idea presented to it. It cannot differentiate between real or fake. It accepts whatever you believe on an emotional level. In the above example I emotionally believed that abundance came through hard work and frugal living. What I did not understand then was the imprint that I had placed on my subconscious mind. Whatever is impressed on the subconscious mind controls your vibration. You see, the body is a mass of molecules vibrating at a very high rate. When we believe in lack, we vibrate at a low level. When we believe in abundance, we vibrate higher. With these thoughts of lack and struggle, I lowered my vibration resulting in lowered results. We need a higher vibration in order to attract the abundance that our higher power wants us to have.

Maybe you know of someone who is always unhappy, unhealthy and broke. Do you feel good being around them? Do they lift your energy? Of course not! They have a low level of vibration and it can be very draining. On the other side, isn't it uplifting to be around a genuinely happy, healthy and positive person? Yes! They bring your energy level up.

To have permanent changes in our lives, we must change the thinking of our subconscious mind. If you want to be successful, you must know how to unleash the hidden power of your subconscious mind. So how do we do this? There are four steps to complete the process.

The first step involves your thoughts. You must become aware of what you are thinking about by listening to the little voices that run through your mind. What are they saying? Do they start with words like can't, won't or shouldn't? Remember that thoughts are units of energy. Are your thoughts vibrating at a high level or low level? The most effective way to change these thoughts is with positive affirmations. Remember that your subconscious mind has no ability to reject an idea that you believe. So write out your affirmation in the present tense for whatever you desire and keep it positive. Bob Proctor taught me to start by saying, ‘I am so happy and grateful now that…' Gratitude is very important in this process as well. At the very least, be grateful that you have become aware of your negative thoughts because now you can change them! Another powerful tool is visualization. Our mind sees in pictures. If you create a board with pictures of all the things that you want to attract into your life, they will come. You must place this board in a place where you can view it several time a day. Visualization is the language of your subconscious mind and intuition is how your subconscious mind communicates with you. Affirmations and visualization will change your thoughts.

The second step is internalizing the emotions involved with what you want to attract. When you have the things that you desire in your life, how will you feel? Most people fail to unleash the hidden power of their subconscious mind simply because they never spend time thinking through what they really want in life and then allowing the emotions to become real. Picture yourself walking through the front door of your new home or behind the wheel of your new car. How do you feel? Allow these emotions to grow. When you look at your picture board, smile. When you read your affirmations, stand and shout them out. Convince your subconscious mind that you have what you want from life and you will.

The third step involves action. This is the step that is most neglected. You need to move in the direction of your dreams to achieve them. This step usually involves your intuition or gut feeling. When you are effectively implementing steps one and two, you will find that ideas or thoughts just come to you. This is the universe telling you which direction to go. Listen to these thoughts and act. You will also find that phone calls or emails will come at just the right time. Act on them. Coincidence is just the universe communicating with you. Take action and you will achieve your dreams. The most important part of this step is to not worry about how to achieve something. The universe will take care of the how. The how will be attracted to you through the subconscious mind, so listen.

The fourth and final step involves your results. Always analyze your results. How is that working for you, an infamous Dr. Phil line. If your results are poor, change your course. It you feel good about your results, keep moving in that direction.

Once you learn how to unleash the unlimited power of your subconscious mind, you will receive anything that you want from life. Solutions to problems will present themselves, income will increase and your giving spirit will grow.