Whether you like it or not, your subconscious mind is in control of you.

It controls 99% of your habits and routines.

It controls 90% of your thoughts.

It controls 80% of your actions.

It controls 70% of your words.

Your thoughts become words. Words become beliefs. Beliefs become actions. Actions become habits. Habits become routines, and this process contributes to forming your personality and disposition.

The bad news is your subconscious operates at the level of a 3-year-old, so a toddler is in charge of you.

The good news is your subconscious is a toddler, and toddlers are easier to teach than adults. Your prefrontal cortex can teach the toddler, and any teaching technique that works on a toddler works on yours.

The key is to find out the best way to train your toddler. For most brain types, declarations work great because they cut in at the words phase.

Toddlers are taught most effectively through images and emotions, so if you make declarations, phrased in the present tense, imagining it in your mind as if it has already happened, while using emotion in your speech (even if it’s just “acting” and you don’t really believe it), your toddler will become convinced with enough repetition. The more emotion and imagination you use, the faster this will work, but even if you struggle with the imagination or emotion, it will still work over time thanks to the principles of basic brainwashing.

The key is to do it often. Once you have decided on your goals or New Year’s resolutions, design some declarations as if you have already reached your goals, as outlined in step one of this post.

An example might be, “I am strong, healthy, lean, and feel amazing!”

Then follow up with identity declarations like, “I love eating organic, real food and find processed food repulsive.” Or whatever steps you might have in step three of the post linked above. Saying all these things while looking at yourself in a mirror whenever possible is even more effective because it elevates the emotion even more. Remember, this doesn’t have to be good emotion, just any emotion. So it might make you feel good, but it might also make you feel silly, or anxious, or whatever – it doesn’t matter because these words coupled with emotion are very effective.

On the other hand, speaking these out loud with your eyes closed, imagining yourself looking and acting that way, it’s also very effective. If the mirror aspect is too uncomfortable, start with this one, and as you get better at it, the mirror can be added later.

Even if you don’t believe what you’re saying, still try to be as emphatic as you can, and imagine yourself looking the way you want and acting the way you want. Just like a toddler, your subconscious brain doesn’t know you’re acting, so it will become convinced over time, just like a real toddler would if you said these things emphatically enough and often enough to them in real life.

As your toddler becomes convinced, it will take over as those words become its beliefs. Then those beliefs will power your actions, and you will find it easier to do the things you are saying out loud.

As you find those things easier, they will start to become habits, and then automatic routines, literally turning you into that person.

As you do this, and become healthier and fitter, your personality will change too, along with your appearance, energy level, and in the end, your very identity, so prepare those around you to be ready to accept an upgraded, new, and improved you!

This is one of the major steps toward achieving success in your goals or resolutions, so start today and force yourself to do this – especially on days you don’t feel like it because that could be your toddler exerting its will to resist you changing. Toddlers like the status quo, and can therefore be resistant to change, so there might be a battle there.

To help with the battle, remember you are the parent and you are in control of teaching your inner toddler. It can also be helpful to give your toddler a name. Mine is Timmy, so when Timmy is throwing a tantrum because I am forcing change in the brain, I just talk to Timmy and assure him everything is going to be OK and I understand things might seem scary, but the change is going to make him so much happier and more secure.

All this might feel uncomfortable at first because you’re essentially talking to yourself with the declarations and then talking to yourself again as you teach your inner toddler, but you’ll get used to it, and if you are consistent enough, this will work like magic to not only help you reach your goals but permanently change your brain so you stay that way once you reach those goals.