John Assaraf explains that cultivating non-judgmental awareness of one’s thoughts is the gateway to choice and freedom. Observing recurring mental and behavioral patterns (including addictions and childhood-derived beliefs) allows deliberate change using higher cortical functions: awareness, intention, attention, and action. He urges daily practice over months to gain greater mental and emotional control, leading to improved health, happiness, and success.
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One of the key things that all the scientists agree on now is the very act of observing and learning your patterns allows you to determine whether you want that pattern to continue. You may have heard me say before, awareness is what gives you choice, and choice is what can give you freedom. Right? So awareness of what? Awareness of your thoughts. What are you thinking about most of the time? Is it constructive, is it destructive? Are your thoughts empowering you or disempowering you? Are they positive or negative? Now what if you were able to practice being aware without judgment, blame, shame, guilt or justification? Let me repeat, no judgment, blame, shame, guilt or justification. Now, why do you want to get good at awareness? The answer is because awareness is what allows you to see patterns. And once you see a pattern, then you can change the pattern. In all of the research that's been done around addictions, for example, whether it's addictions to nicotine, sex, porn, sugar, overeating, under eating, over exercising, not exercising, one of the key things that all the scientists agree on now is the very act of observing and learning your patterns allows you to determine whether you want that pattern to continue. And to also ask, why is this pattern here, what's called causing the things that I do, what is causing these thoughts, what's triggering these emotions, what's behind the anger, what's behind the fear, what's behind the feeling like I'm not good enough, worthy enough, etc. And in that quiet observation, without judgment, blame, shame, guilt or justification, we can start to make modifications. And then we use our higher cortical functions of intention, attention and action to change. So awareness, intention, attention and action, that is the simple version of how we change, how we become more, how we surrender, allow, accept. All of us have patterns. Some serve us well, some don't. That's just a natural fact. Most of it's because of childhood experiences, the meaning that we gave things, the skills that we gained or didn't gain. So what? The key is, start right now, get better today, get better tomorrow, get better the next day. Over the course of three months, six months, 12 months, you have more mental control, you have more emotional control, you have more direction on your behaviors. And when you learn what you should be doing, holy mackerel, you could be healthier, happier, wealthier, and more. So there are a few thoughts for you today. Hope you have an awesome, awesome, awesome next week. Hey, this is John, and if you like that video, watch the next video because it is packed with things that you can do right now to achieve success way faster than ever. Before.
