Why Your Subconscious is Sabotaging Your Success (and How to Fix It)
You’re not praying wrong — your subconscious is. Here’s how to trick it into working for you, not against you.
The REAL problem: your subconscious is playing in defence
Why do people often get the opposite of what they want despite doing everything “right”?
It’s the sneaky little asshole called conflict between what you want and what you imagine happening.
Ever feel like you’re doing everything right, but the universe is sitting there, flipping you off?
Yeah, welcome to the club.
Turns out, it’s not because you’re cursed, or unlucky, or the universe is being a massive prick.
Nope — it’s all you.
Well, not really you, more like that lazy-ass roommate in your brain: your subconscious.
3 questions people ask about this problem
“Why isn’t my prayer/manifestation/positive thinking working?”
“Am I doing something wrong, or is the universe just being a dick?”
“How can I actually get my subconscious on board with my desires?”
The real solution: stop wrestling with your subconscious
Your subconscious is like that one flaky mate who agrees to help you move, but as soon as they arrive, they just sit on their arse, on your sofa, eating your pizza while you do all the heavy lifting.
Yeah, that’s your brain when you’re praying for wealth, success, or anything you actually want.
Your conscious mind is doing all the heavy lifting, and your subconscious?
Just chillin’.
The key?
Don’t fight it.
The harder you try, the more it doubles down on its laziness.
Ever tried to drag a teenager out of bed on a Saturday morning?
Same thing.
If you push too hard, it digs in harder.
Instead, you’ve got to trick it, nudge it into action with calm, effortless suggestion.
Like slipping vegetables into a kid’s spaghetti bolognese.
Or pretending the food is a train going through a tunnel.
You’re not forcing anything; you’re guiding it, subtly.
6 benefits (because you love a good list)
No more frustrating attempts to “will” things into existence (that never worked, anyway).
Finally understand why that prayer or affirmation felt like screaming into the void.
Discover the power of “reverse effort” and get your subconscious to work for you — instead of sabotaging your every move like a bratty teenager.
Stop obsessing over your goals and instead, calmly let them take root. (Less stress, more results — sounds like a win to me.)
Learn how to plant subtle ideas in your brain that don’t trigger mental conflict — like sneaking veggies into a kid’s dinner.
Start enjoying life more, because nothing says “peace” like knowing your brain is low-key sorting everything out while you sleep, like a mental ninja.
Walking the plank… until you fall
You’re totally fine walking a plank on the floor, right?
But the minute you raise it 20 feet in the air, your brain’s like, “Nah, mate. You’re gonna fall.”
It’s like asking you to juggle fire while riding a rhinoceros.
Suddenly, you’re overthinking every step.
That’s your subconscious pulling the strings.
The harder you try to “will” yourself across, the more it screams, “YOU’RE GONNA DIE!”
And just like telling yourself not to picture a giant pink elephant, guess what pops into your head?
Yep, that big, bright-pink fucker.
Yeah, your subconscious is kind of a dick like that.
Joseph Murphy (affiliate link) — the guy who wrote the book on this — suggests you stop muscling through with willpower.
That’s like trying to staple jelly to a wall.
Instead, chill out, get into a relaxed state, and let your subconscious take the wheel — without the mental gymkhana.
Day 10: Meditation is F*cking Boring: 10-Day Plan to Crush Your Meditation Struggles (Even if Your…
You must realize where your error lies. You are trying too hard!
Never try to compel the subconscious mind to accept your idea by exercising willpower. Such attempts are doomed to failure. All too often, you end up getting the opposite of what you prayed for. The effortless way is better.Dr Joseph Murphy — The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Dr Murphy sums it up perfectly in this excerpt:
Have you ever had something like this happen to you? You have to
take an examination of some kind. You have put in a lot of time
studying and reviewing the material. You feel as if you know it well. But
when you face a blank exam page, you find that your mind is even
more blank. All your knowledge of the subject has suddenly deserted
you. You can’t recall a single relevant thought. You grit your teeth and
summon all the powers of your will, but the harder you try, the farther
the knowledge seem to flee.
Frustrated, you leave the examination room. The mental pressure
eases. Suddenly the answers you were hunting for so desperately a few
minutes ago flow tantalizingly back into your mind. You told yourself
you knew the material, and sure enough, you did … but not when you
needed to. The mistake you made was to try to force yourself to re-
member. By the law of reversed effort, this led not to success, but to
failure. What you got was the opposite of what you asked or prayed for.
Key Ideas to Steal from Murphy
Mental effort backfires.
The more you try to force things, the harder your brain pushes back.
Let go of the willpower bullshit.
You’re trying to force your brain to cooperate.
It’s saying “Bollocks to that!” and checking out.Use imagination over desire.
Willpower is for the gym; imagination is for your subconscious. Imagination is where the magic happens.
Picture success, not failure.Affirmations without conflict.
Simply repeating “I am rich” won’t do shit if your brain is shouting back, “No, you’re not!”
You need to phrase things in ways that don’t piss off your logical mind — like tricking a stubborn donkey with a carrot.
Think subtle, not forceful.
Stop wrestling an alligator covered in BBQ sauce
Trying to force your way to success with sheer willpower is like trying to wrestle an alligator covered in BBQ sauce.
It’s messy, painful, and you’ll probably lose a finger, along with your dignity.
But if you can relax, plant the right thoughts, and back off?
You’ll start noticing things fall into place, because your subconscious is like a master gardener — it grows whatever you plant in it, without needing you to hover over it like a helicopter parent, or a micro-managing boss.
Why keep playing on hard mode when the cheat code’s right here?
Ready to stop banging your head against your own brain and finally get your subconscious on your side?
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I subscribed, Alex, and saved this post. Yay! We are like-minded souls.
I feel like you've been reading my unpublished work and came to my training as an invisible human. How'd you get in?? 🤣
You are right. Spot on. Perfectly written. (And you may quote me 🤗 )
I look forward to leisurely reading this in the morning before I start my productive day.
When you awake, Alex, I'm hoping this comment puts a big smile on your face and you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.