Observing: Become Conscious of Your
Habitual States of Mind
In Step 2: Recognizing, you have already observed the emotion that
drives you. Now I want you to become so familiar with your specific
thoughts and actions derived from the old sensations that you can catch
yourself while you live your life. With repeated practice, you can become
so aware of the old patterns that you never allow them to manifest to
fruition. The end result is that you stay ahead of the old self so that you
have control over it. So when you start to notice the beginnings of the
feeling that normally drives your unconscious thoughts and habits unfolding
in your day, it has become so familiar to you that the slightest inkling is
now brought to your awareness.
As an example, if you are overcoming a dependency on some substance
such as sugar or tobacco, the more you are able to sense when the pangs
and tugs of the body’s chemical addiction begin, the sooner you will be able
to do battle against them. Everyone knows when the cravings start to occur.
You begin to notice impulses, urges, and sometimes loud screams, which
sound like, “Just do it! Submit! Give in! Go ahead—just this one time!” As
you continuously forge onward and upward, in time you can notice when
these cravings come up, and you will be better equipped to handle them.
The same is true with personal change, except the substance is not
something that exists outside of you. In reality, it is you. Your feelings and
thoughts are actually a part of you. Nevertheless, your real objective here is
to be so aware of the self-limiting state of being that you would never let
one thought or behavior go unnoticed by you.
Almost all of what we demonstrate starts with a thought. But just because
you have a thought doesn’t necessarily mean it is true. Most thoughts are
just old circuits in your brain that have become hardwired by your repetitive
volition. Thus, you have to ask yourself, “Is this thought true, or is it just
what I think and believe while I am feeling this way? If I act on this
impulse, will it lead me to the same result in my life?” The truth is, these
are echoes from your past that are connected to strong feelings, which
activate old circuits in your brain and cause you to react in predictable
ways.