How I Let My Inner Mind Lead the Way: Insights from My Superlearning Studies. Here’s How Feeding and Listening to the Mind’s Quiet Voice Can Accelerate Everything You Want to Learn. Mastery Begins Where Control Ends:
Abstract:
In “How I Let My Inner Mind Lead the Way,” Dr. Mehmet Yildiz explores the concept of learning through the subconscious. He challenges traditional views of learning as a controlled process, advocating for a balance between effort and surrender. Drawing from years of experience teaching superlearners, he emphasizes the importance of understanding and responding to mental states rather than resisting them. By creating rituals that align with natural rhythms, individuals can better access their subconscious, enhancing learning and emotional well-being. Ultimately, mastering learning involves attuning to one’s inner cycles, enabling a more organic and effective approach to acquiring knowledge.
Letting the Subconscious Lead
Like many academics, I once believed that learning was primarily about control in the prefrontal cortex, such as conscious focus, deliberate practice, and sustained effort to achieve our goals.
Nevertheless, years of teaching superlearners and studying how the brain and mind truly work have reshaped that belief. I now see learning as a dance between effort and surrender, awareness and unawareness, structure and spontaneity.
The most powerful breakthroughs come not when we force them, but when we allow space for the subconscious mind to emerge.
That insight did not arrive from scholarly theories. It grew from close observation of my own mental rhythms, and from watching gifted learners do something remarkable: trust what they could not see yet feel.
This is part II of the subconscious mind chapter of How I Accelerated My Learning for a Happier Life. I shared Part I yesterday and linked it here if you missed it, as it sets the context and gives my research background with reasons.
The Hidden Engines of Learning and Mastering What We Desire
What Teaching Superlearners Taught Me About the Importance of the Subconscious Mind in Gaining Desired Knowledge and…medium.com
How I Started Educating My Subconscious Mind Subliminally
I studied the mechanisms of the subconscious mind from the remarkable works of several eminent scholars and practitioners in human development, leadership, neuroscience, cognitive science, anthropology, linguistics, psychology, and mental health.
I used many techniques and wrote thousands of pages of scripts for my research journals. In this story, I want to share one of the relatively newer experiments that might be relatable to you.
One day, I wanted to give more methodical and clearer instructions to my subconscious mind, so I decided to write down how I respond to different mental states and place the laminated posters in various parts of my home and on my desk at the workplace. Apart from using it as a research artifact, I also shared it with family, friends, students, and colleagues.
My purpose was not to write it as just a productivity hack. My goal was to methodically educate my deeper intelligence (subconscious) that guides my behavior, calm my turbulent thoughts, and regulate my emotions. This is what I wrote clearly with my hand:
When I feel anxious, I walk, swim, dance, or do calisthenics.
When I am full of ideas, I write.
When I am mentally energetic, I work or help others.
When my mind is empty, I read, take an online course, listen to podcasts, or watch videos.
When I am exhausted or have low energy, I wind down, meditate, hum, or sleep.
— Dr Mehmet Yildiz
At first glance, this may read like a simple to-do list, and it can be used for that purpose. But it reveals something essential to create harmony in my life: a conscious partnership with the subconscious mind.
Rather than fighting a mental state, I work with it intentionally and with empathy, understanding, and compassion. Rather than suppressing or overriding my internal rhythm, I respond to its message.
This approach is not indulgence, a cop-out, or a productivity hack. It is strategic alignment with my whole brain to achieve my goals, produce desired outcomes, and live a healthy and happy life.
The Subconscious Responds to Rhythm, Not Pressure
Our subconscious does not speak in logical sentences. It speaks through sensation, emotion, impulses, intuition, association, and timing. It learns through natural rhythm, such as repeated exposure, restful incubation, meaningful connection, and emotional salience.
Superlearners do not learn more and faster because they push harder. They learn better because they sense when to push hard and when to pause gently, when to inhale and when to exhale, when to work and when to rest.
They build rhythmic habits not just of action, but of attention, which respect the inner signals of readiness, fatigue, curiosity, creativity, or gaining insight.
This list I wrote for this experiment became a mirror to my learning cycles, too. When I feel anxious, I do not sit at my desk trying to suppress it. I move. When I am mentally saturated, I do not cram. I absorb new material through passive input like podcasts or visual content. And when I am full of ideas, I do not wait for the perfect time. I capture them immediately to contribute to the body of knowledge.
I don’t do these things as rules but to create patterns for the subconscious mind to record, understand, and influence my behavior. They are patterns depicting the language of the subconscious.
Priming the Mind Through Ritual and Context
As discussed in the previous chapter, priming is a phenomenon where subtle cues, such as a warm drink, a scent, a color, or a sound, shape our judgments and readiness without our conscious awareness.
What this means for learning is profound: environment, posture, and emotion can all signal the brain to shift into learning mode, without you realizing it.
By moving your body when anxious, you discharge energy and allow your brain to shift out of defensive states. By writing when full of ideas, you release cognitive pressure. By reading or listening when your mind feels empty, you gently refill it. By sleeping or resting, you consolidate memories and access them easily.
Superlearners do not resist these states. They use them wisely. They create personal rituals that prime their minds for focus, flow, or recovery, consciously preparing the subconscious to take over and serve us better.
Implicit Egotism and Learning Preferences
Unconscious patterns deeply influence our learning style preferences.
As noted in the previous chapter, implicit egotism shows we are drawn to what reminds us of ourselves, such as names, letters, rhythms, and even sensory experiences tied to early memories.
This is non-trivial. If you unconsciously associate learning with struggle or tension, your brain may avoid it. It happened to me, leading to procrastination, which was unbearable and unproductive.
If, instead, you associate learning and gaining insights with calm, curiosity, or your identity, your subconscious mind opens the door. This happened to me too, giving euphoric moments and making me more creative and productive.
When I read, listen, or watch while feeling mentally empty, I choose materials that feel personally meaningful. Instead of just collecting facts, I form emotional anchors.
This wise approach helps the subconscious integrate and recall what matters, as explained in the SMART MIND Loop™ Cognitive Enhancement and Mental Performance Model.
Mental States as Invitations, Not Obstacles
Too many learners treat certain states, such as anxiety, fatigue, or distraction, as enemies of learning. But each state contains information. Each has a signal function. For example:
- Anxiety calls for movement.
- Overstimulation calls for creative output.
- Mental energy calls for service or application.
- Emptiness calls for replenishment.
- Exhaustion calls for recovery.
Superlearners honor and interpret these signals promptly without resistance. They act in ways that match the need, not fight against it.
In other words, learning becomes a form of emotional attunement, a dialogue between mental state and cognitive choice.
Eclectic and Timely Actions for Alignment
Unlike common beliefs, the fastest learners I have worked with are not necessarily the most disciplined. They are the most synchronized.
Their inputs and outputs are not random. They are well-matched to their moment-to-moment capacities managed by their well-trained and well-serving subconscious minds.
They move when they need movement. They pause when they need space. They work when they feel mentally alive. They rest without guilt. So, they reap the benefits of working with their natural rhythms.
They learn by respecting the cycles of readiness and recovery, which are governed more by the subconscious than the conscious mind.
They accelerate their learning not by doing more, but by doing what fits best in that moment.
Conclusions and Key Takeaways
Doing What Feels Right Might Be the Smartest Way to Learn Faster
The subconscious is not a mysterious force to be feared or suppressed. It is the most essential human companion in the learning process. It signals, processes, and guides. The more carefully we listen to it, the more fluently we learn.
It does not shout instructions, but it whispers rhythms. And those rhythms, when noticed and respected, lead us faster and more gracefully to understanding than rigid schedules or willpower alone.
When I reflected on how I move through my days, such as how I walk when anxious, write when inspired, help others when mentally sharp, and recharge when depleted, I realized something that changed the way I learn: my subconscious already knows what I need and when. The goal is learning how to listen to its signals.
That short handwritten note was not just a routine. It was a mirror to my subconscious mind. It revealed a pattern in how my energy, emotion, and attention naturally align with different modes of action.
That realization gave me permission to stop forcing myself into artificial learning structures and start working with my internal flow.
You do not have to copy my pattern. You can tailor it to your needs. Your rhythm might look different. But when you begin noticing it, when you stop overriding your subconscious cues in the name of productivity and instead work in sync with them, you will likely find that you retain more, enjoy more, and struggle less.
Learning goes beyond accumulating content in our memories. It involves timing, trust, and tuning into the subconscious mind, gracefully honoring its language.
What feels right in the moment, even if it looks unusual to others, might not be laziness or avoidance. It is a signal from the subconscious. When honored with awareness, it becomes a superpower.
You are not a machine to be optimized. You are a system of inner cycles, such as mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual. Mastering learning means mastering how to move through those cycles with grace.
The road to mastery may appear logical on the surface. But beneath it lies a rhythm. That rhythm is where your authentic and effortless learning begins. That is where the real accelerated learning that you need begins.
Let Your Subconscious Take the Lead with the Rhythms You Design!
The subconscious is so vast, I no longer see it as part of the mind. I see it as a symbolic universe in itself. It stores more than memories and instincts.
It holds meaning, creativity, and a vast intelligence that runs deeper than reason, as I explained in my upcoming book, How Tapping Into My Subconscious Mind Changed My Life: A Scientific and Personal Exploration of the Mind Beneath Awareness.
There are many tools to tap into the subconscious mind. For me, the most effective ones are meditation, working in a flow state, listening to baroque music, and lucid dreaming.
This story is a summary of the upcoming book, How I Accelerated My Learning Effortlessly for a Happier Life. It is now available for preorder in several book stores in a digital format. The early access for audio will be ready in a month, and the print book will be ready in March 2026.
Sample Chapters of How I Accelerated My Learning Effortlessly for a Happier Life.
You may check out some of the previous chapters if you missed them:
Super Learning: How I Accelerated My Learning Effortlessly for a Happier Life
What Is Superlearning and Why I Believe Everyone Can Be a Superlearner
What If Your Brain Could Learn to Learn Better By Watching Itself in Real Time?
Cognitive Load and Ease Determine Your Success as a Leader in Your Field
Why I Find NVIDIA So Special as a Strategist and Superlearner
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
Invitation to Become a Superlearner via a Super Supportive Community that I built
Superlearning with SMART MIND Loop™ | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Substack
A supportive community of superlearners with my scholarly guidance, caring mentorship, and informed coaching to solve…superlearning.substack.com
I have been running superlearning workshops for many years, both offline and in closed online environments.
However, in July 2025, I opened my services to the public on Substack and Patreon with around 1800 students. Over 18,000 members have joined since July 2025, and it is growing rapidly (919%).
The reason, I suppose, is that it is not only affordable and moderated by a passionate and experienced person like myself and my collaborators, but also that 90% of these members are over 50, and they want to prevent cognitive decline and enjoy the second, third, or fourth part of their lives. One of the members is over 90 years old.
Every genuine person is welcome to join our community of superlearners. For a limited time, to help build a big community, I’m offering an 80% discount on the $8 monthly membership fee on Substack, which is a significant savings.
After the pilot, next year, this will become a $3,000 yearly membership program for new members, as demand is expected to be massive. My goal is to reach over a million members by the end of 2026, operating it on my own platform, Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem, with assistance from Substack and Patreon as amplifying platforms.
I also created a publication called Superlearning on Medium and will support my readers here, too. Opportunities are endless in integrated platforms, where passion and community spirit can illuminate society.
Invitation to Check Put Ketosis + BDNF: The Healing Molecules That Saved My Life.
As a health topic close to my heart, I recently completed and shared several sample chapters from an upcoming book, Ketosis + BDNF: The Healing Molecules That Saved My Life.
I provide the links to the chapters I published as early access to this book. As beta readers, your feedback will be appreciated to refine it and make it a valuable resource for the community.
What Is Beta-Hydroxybutyrate and Why I Decided to Write a Comprehensive Memoir Book About It
Neurobiology of Ketones in the Brain with Practical Lived Experiences
Other Related Stories for Producing Ketones Naturally
β-Hydroxybutyrate: 2 Vital Role of Ketogenesis in the Brain for Dementia Prevention / Treatment
Biochemistry of Ketosis Simplified with Nuanced Perspectives and Personal Experiences
A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
Perfect Storm in a Teacup: Can Intermittent Fasting Increase Heart Disease Risk by 91%?
Here’s Why I Focus on Nutritional Biochemistry Rather Than Diets
I wrote several stories about ketosis and the ketogenic lifestyle, reflecting my experiences and literature reviews, which you can find in the following list: Ketosis and Ketogenic Lifestyle
I wrote many stories explaining the fundamental requirements of the brain and nervous system with nuances in previous stories, so I link them as a reference here:
Here’s How to Make the Nervous System More Flexible and Functional
Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
You can find many relevant stories about brain health and cognitive performance on this list. Brain Health and Cognitive Function
If you are interested in brain and cognition, you may check out this concise book coming soon: What the Brain Needs, Why We Fail, and How We Can Fix It. Here are two sample chapters.
Quick Updates for Writers and Collaborators
My writing memoir, The Zen of Book Authoring, was globally distributed. I wrote it to guide aspiring book authors.
Do you have a book that you’d like to have edited, published, and promoted?
If you are a book author, I offer editing, publishing, and marketing help to 100 experts as a pilot based on a revenue-sharing model without any upfront payment. Why Am I Investing 3,000 Hours of Editing and Publishing with $0 Upfront Payment for 2026?
Our content ecosystem is growing rapidly, which will make the Substack Mastery Boost a global service in January 2026. This program excites me as it will help many creators, book authors, and content startups with low-cost educational and marketing support.
I have established multiple networks, including Superlearners, Health and Wellness, Freelancers, Technology Experts, Gamers, Book Authors, Scholars, the Writing Academy, Expert Contributors Network, and finally Affiliate Marketers Network, Authority Building Services, which will integrate with the Substack Mastery Boost program at Digitalmehmet.com, Substackmastery.com, and Illumination-curated.com sites.
I am now working on Authority Building Services for creators. I wrote a comprehensive book about it titled Neurostrategic Digital Authority Building: How Scholars and Business Executives Turn Expertise into Lasting Influence.
If you are a writer, you are welcome to join my publications by sending a request via this link. I support 39K writers who contribute to my publications on this platform. Check out the recent update for the writers of my publications.
You can contact me via my website. If you are a new writer, check out my writing list to find some helpful stories for your education. You can also join my author platform as a guest blogger.
Now, we have a new scholarly publication to empower academic writers and educate discerning readers. Here is the invitation to ILLUMINATION Scholar: A New Star Is Born on Medium🌟: Welcome to Illumination Scholar.
You can find out about my scholarly work on my Google Scholar or Bohrium profiles and journalism at Muck Rack. Check out my blogs at GoodReads, Blogspot, and my bookstore at Payhip and Gumroad. Some of my technical credentials on Credly. As a new instructor, my Udemy profile includes 6-level Substack courses.
For Substack writers, we created a 6-level course on Udemy titled From Zero to Substack Hero, which I also offer via my Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights on Substack. If you are interested in joining, you can use these discount vouchers:
Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, 5, 6 (Bundle).
I introduced the new bundle for advanced writers in an article: From Zero to Substack Hero: Advanced Levels 4, 5, & 6 Bundle Is Ready for Beta Learners
Thank you for joining my networks and being part of my joyful community on Medium, Substack, and Patreon.
I invite you to subscribe to my publications on Substack, where I offer experience-based and original content on health, content strategy, book authoring, and technology topics you can’t find online to inform and inspire my readers.
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You can find some of my books at Apple Stores, Smashwords, Vivlio, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, BooskaMillion, Fable, or my discount bookstore. Check out my affiliate shop on Amazon.
Explore some of my books including: Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life, Cortisol Clarity, The Mysterious Leadership Mind of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Substack Mastery Version 2, Monetize Your Passion with WooCommerce, Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation V2, Agile Business Architecture for Digital Transformation (Audiobook), A Powerful Toolkit for Substack Newsletter Mastery, Smart and Ethical SEO, Modern Affiliate Marketing for Writers, 4 Pillars of Enterprise Architecture, and Smart Email Marketing Content Integration, The Zen of Book Authoring
You may enjoy this comprehensive free book chapter I wrote for technology, enterprise, and business Architects as a gift: What Is a Digital Transformation Architect?. I will share my updates on YouTube posts.
Get an email whenever Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes. He is a top writer and editor on Medium.
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