Of course, we've all had our "Aha" moments. They materialize without warning, often through conversations with your personal coach or an unconscious shift in mental perspective that can abruptly alter how we perceive a problem.
It happened to Archimedes in the bath. To Descartes it took place in bed while watching flies on his ceiling. And to Newton it occurred in an orchard, when he saw an apple fall. Each had a moment on insight. To Archimedes came a way to calculate density and volume; to Descartes, the idea of coordinate geometry; and to Newton, the law of universal gravity. To these epiphanies, we owe the concept of alternating electrical current, the discovery of penicillin, and on a less lofty note, the invention of Post-its, ice cream cones, and Velcro.
Lately, researchers have been able to document the brain's behavior during Eureka moments by recording brain wave patterns and imaging the neural circuits that become active as volunteers struggle to solve anagrams, riddles and other brain teasers.
Also, research shows that there are certain conscious thoughts and actions you can take to direct what your subconscious mind focuses on. For example, you can use affirmations to change your mind, mood and health, and reach new levels of awareness and happiness.
Affirmations are spiritual ideals or goals embedded in potent, constructive statements. Edgar Cayce instructed that an affirmation be spoken (silently or aloud), while maintaining a consciousness of the meaning of the words, and to speak it several times with a positive, expectant attitude, until the whole of one's mental being is affected positively by the meaning.
"Let my desire and my needs be in Thy hands, Thou Maker, Creator of the universe and all the forces and powers therein! And may I conform my attitude, my purpose, my desire, to that Thou hast as an activity for me." Edgar Cayce reading #462-8
This affirmation is intended to take hold of desires, needs, and attitudes that we all experience in life and move them to a higher, more universally attuned condition, resulting in greater harmony and happiness in our lives.
Jim Jensen in his new book "Beyond the Power of Your Subconscious Mind," offers compelling evidence about the relationship between our conscious and subconscious mind.
Jensen suggests that we Utilize the Five Steps of Creative Problem Solving:
1. Define the Problem -- Write it down. Make sure you clarify the problem and know as best as you possibly can what it is that needs to be resolved.
2. Gather Data -- This could be data stored in your subconscious from your past experiences. You may also research written material, browse the Internet, etc. This shouldn't take a lot of time, but get the input you need as quickly as you can.
3. Attempt to solve the problem consciously. Work on the problem. Ask yourself, is there a black and white solution here? Are there options I can look at? What are they?
4. If you don't have a clear solution, take a break and sleep on it. Turn it over to your supraconscious mind. Let your inner mind go to work for you. Tell it you need the best solution and when.
5. Get your conscious mind busy elsewhere. Take a break. Go do something else. Go shopping, play golf, head to the club, go fishing.
When the time is right, the best answer will be there. No church bells will ring. The right answer will just come forth in a "blinding flash of the obvious" that we call an "Aha Moment." Some people even call it "Divine Intervention."
Bottom Line: When you fully know how your mind works, you will increase the measure of your performance substantially. Sleep on it. Let your subconscious wrestle the problems and challenges you face in your life.
Sources: "Beyond the Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by C. James Jensen
"There is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce" by Thomas Sugrue
33 Messages of Hope[Kindle Edition] by Hope Ulch Brown ($.99)