when you are not? What would you like to be characteristic
of you at all times?
❏ What is your environment?Where and when do you do the
things identified above? What would you say are the
external influences on you and your life? What does your
appearance say about you—today? Every day? How is your
physical environment a metaphor for who you are? In what
contexts would you like to be able to make a difference?
Just the process of becoming aware of what these things are for
you will give you more choice about whether you hold on to
them or not. Awareness leads to choice. The person who wrote
paragraph C earlier in this chapter, describing himself as a shy
and inward person, has subsequently experienced significant
shifts in his self-perception. He felt that the process of writing
out the paragraph highlighted some of the patterns in his
thinking about himself that he didn't like and wanted to
change. This person has developed confidence in himself, has
been appointed to a position of responsibility, and is generally
much happier with life and himself. The way forward may not
always be as straightforward as that, but it is surprising how
often it can be much simpler than we let ourselves believe.
1 Choose something that you know to be true of you when you
are aligned and that you can imagine easily. It might be a
behavior, a value, a belief, or it might be something that
makes you feel good when you wear it. It helps if you have
anchored this aligned state previously, but this is also a way
of doing that.
2 Imagine that the levels are stretched out in front of you. In
effect, imagine that you can see the diagram on page 211 set
out before you. You can do this sitting down or you might
find it easier to walk through the levels as if they were
marked out on the floor. Start at the level that you can
imagine most easily and begin to walk up the levels,
allowing yourself to imagine how you are and how you want
to be when you are at one with yourself. Take whatever time
you need to do this and allow whatever comes to mind to do
so. This is not something you can do absolutely consciously
or intellectually. Allow your unconscious mind to guide you.
Awareness leads to choiceShortcut to personal alignment
ALIGN YOURSELF: NEUROLOGICAL LEVELS OF CHANGE 229