The Unconscious Mind's Fight For Safety

Hey self improver, a better world starts with a better you and YES YOU CAN! So let's take another step toward your best self today.

You’ve probably read before that 95%+ of the things we do on a daily basis are done unconsciously. The way we feel and the way we act is determined by our own internal beliefs. Like a pre-written script and without even thinking about it, we live out our lives according to some predetermined narrative.

Nothing plays a bigger role in what happens unconsciously than the one thing that our unconscious mind was designed to do. Generations of human evolution revolved around this thing, and to this day it’s the core operating system running the show:

The human mind’s sole purpose is to keep us alive.

We often miss that because our modern environment is so much about everything else. But when you look at the natural inclinations humanity has toward certain things, it all comes back to creating more safety for ourselves.

First, let’s talk about money. The reason people are so motivated to make money is because it gives us buying power to ensure our survival. We can pay for the food we need, live in nicer areas, and solve catastrophic problems when we have lots of money.

Second is power. People naturally want more power because it’s an expression of status. When you’re high-status within a group, it means that more people are going to invest in supporting you. If there are a limited amount of resources to go around, the most powerful get the first pick at them. 

Similarly, we want other people to like us. Why? Because if we’re incapable of supporting ourselves, we need to rely on the help of others to provide for us. High quality relationships leads to more altruistic behavior, which gives you a better opportunity to survive personal difficulty.

And of course, it explains why we tend to avoid situations that put us in harm’s way. We naturally avoid things that seem dangerous or risky for fear that we’ll injure ourselves. Interestingly, this risk-aversion translates beyond physical danger and also applies for psychological harm.

The reason I write all of this is because it’s good awareness to know what’s happening behind the scenes. All feelings around wanting money, power, to be liked, and to be safe are all hardwired into us evolutionary. This means that if we determine it doesn’t serve us to feel that way, we can understand why we do and make an alternative choice. 

And that’s why it’s so important to constantly seek to increase your consciousness - it allows you to live more consciously and aligned with what you want, and not blindly follow whatever old path is laid out in front of you.

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