But after three Olympic Games, a gold medal, devastating injuries, and years of working with sports psychologists, I can tell you this:
Your results in life are often a direct reflection of how you’ve programmed your subconscious.
And whether you realize it or not… you’re programming it every single day.
What Is the Subconscious Mind?
Let’s start simple.
If you’ve ever Googled “what is subconscious?” or looked for a subconscious definition, here’s the clearest way I can explain it:
Your conscious mind is what you’re aware of right now — the thoughts you’re actively thinking.
Your subconscious is everything operating beneath that awareness. It stores your beliefs, habits, emotional patterns, fears, and automatic responses.
If you’re wondering, “what does subconscious mean in real life?” — it means this:
- It’s why you drive home and don’t remember the last five turns.
- It’s why you react to pressure a certain way.
- It’s why doubt shows up automatically in big moments.
It’s the operating system behind your behavior.
And in my sport, that operating system determines everything.
BMX Taught Me the Power of Your Subconscious Mind
In BMX racing, the Olympic final lasts around 35 seconds.
That’s it.
There’s no time to think.
There’s no time to talk yourself through it.
There’s no time to analyze.
When the gate drops, it’s pure reaction.
You don’t rise to the level of your goals in that moment — you fall to the level of your subconscious programming.
Every jump.
Every manual.
Every split-second decision in traffic.
It’s not conscious thought.
It’s subconscious execution.
If doubt lives in your subconscious, it shows up at the worst time.
If fear lives there, it tightens your body.
If belief lives there, it frees you.
That’s why I became obsessed with mastering the power of your subconscious mind long before the Olympic final ever started.
Working With Sports Psychologists to Reprogram My Subconscious
Early in my career, I thought confidence meant “just believe.”
That doesn’t work.
Because if your subconscious has been conditioned by crashes, losses, pressure, or fear, you can’t just flip a switch.
I spent years working with sports psychologists learning how to reprogram your subconscious mind.
Here’s what that looked like for me:
- Visualization. Rehearsing success in detail before it happened
- Controlled breathing to regulate subconscious stress responses
- Reframing negative internal dialogue
- Anchoring confidence to physical routines
- Practicing pressure scenarios in training
Did doubts disappear?
No.
That’s important.
They didn’t vanish. But I learned how to quiet them.
Instead of subconscious fear running the show, I trained my mind to default to calm, focused execution.
That’s the difference between hoping you perform well and knowing you will respond the way you trained yourself to respond.
Joseph Murphy and “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind”
Years ago, someone recommended I read The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy.
When people reference “Murphy The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” or “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Joseph Murphy”, they’re usually talking about this core idea:
Your subconscious mind does not argue with you.
It accepts what you repeatedly tell it and works to make it real.
Now, whether you interpret that spiritually, psychologically, or neurologically, the principle is powerful.
If you repeatedly tell yourself:
- “I choke under pressure.”
- “I’m not good in big moments.”
- “Something always goes wrong.”
Your subconscious accepts that script.
And it will find a way to make you right.
But the opposite is also true.
How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind (From My Experience)
If you’re asking “how to reprogram your subconscious mind?” here’s what actually worked for me:
1. Repetition Creates Belief
Your subconscious responds to repetition. I visualized winning thousands of times before Rio ever happened.
2. Emotion Locks It In
The more emotionally vivid the mental rehearsal, the more powerful the imprint.
3. Identity Over Outcomes
Instead of focusing only on winning, I focused on becoming the type of athlete who thrives under pressure.
4. Control the Inputs
What you read, who you listen to, what you say about yourself — all of it shapes your subconscious.
5. Practice Under Pressure
Confidence isn’t positive thinking. It’s evidence. Train your subconscious to recognize, “I’ve handled this before.”
The Subconscious Controls More Than You Think
Most people think success happens in the big moment.
It doesn’t.
It happens in the months and years of programming beforehand.
When I stood on the gate in Rio, I wasn’t trying to hype myself up.
I was calm.
Because the work had already been done beneath the surface.
The power of your subconscious mind isn’t magic.
It’s preparation meeting identity.
It’s habits turning into automatic execution.
It’s quieting doubt enough so that when pressure shows up, your training takes over.
Final Thought
If you’re wondering:
- What is the subconscious mind?
- What is subconscious mind really capable of?
- What does subconscious mean for my career, relationships, or performance?
Here’s my answer:
Your subconscious is the steering wheel of your life.
You can ignore it.
Or you can train it.
As an Olympic athlete, I didn’t have the luxury of thinking my way through 35 seconds.
Everything came from what I had programmed beforehand.
And the same is true for you — whether your arena is a boardroom, a stage, a sales call, or your own personal challenges.
Unleash the power of your subconscious mind.
Because when the moment comes, you won’t perform based on what you hope…
You’ll perform based on what you’ve trained yourself to believe.
– Connor Fields
