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Tools are only as good as the knowledge to use them. I’ve found using stories to look inside to be a great tool. Meditation is another one of many. All of these applications are for the same purpose: To have a look at the inner world. Eventually, you will find that you can monitor your internal state more informally. You will be able to look inside on-the-fly. You in fact wind up with a process running in the back of your mind that is devoted to obeserving your inner state. Once you have this in place, you will find that monitoring your inner world gets easier, and the challenge becomes more of “what are you going to do about it?”
The exercise of going within is good for you in general, but it can also be good to have a list of things to look for or at, especially if you are still getting started. Here are just a few examples:
- What is my emotional state?
- What thoughts are running through my mind?
- Are there any unwanted thought patterns present?
- Are there any desired thought patterns present?
- Is there anything in the back of my mind that needs attention? (This can be anything from “Don’t forget to go to the store” to “This doesn’t feel right. I need to get out of here)
- What are my energy levels? Am I low on energy? (It’s easy to make mistakes when we are tired or fatigued. Keeping track of how much energy you have can help you plan ahead)
This is just things to check out as a “status check”. If you want, you can get more advanced:
- What kind of story is this? If my life were an epic myth, how would this event fit in?
- What would my hero do in this case?
- Is this in line with who I want to be?
- What would an “ideal me” do in this circumstance?
In addition to this, you can setup or deliberately maintain a thought pattern. Affirmations are rather popular for this.
Remember: This is just a quick check. A brief moment when you can take stock of your inner world. It’s not meant to be a whole toolbox, just a Swiss Army knife. Moreover, it’s not meant to be an exhaustive checklist, but rather a menu of ideas that can be used. All of that being said, try it out and see how it works for you.
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