Month: January 2015

The mind can sometimes try to trick you out of the insights you find when doing The Work. One way it does this is to judge the insights you find as “obvious.” “Oh, of course I should listen to him. That’s no big deal. I already knew that. See, I shouldn’t waste time doing The Work.”

Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheets just happen to be one of my favorite ways to identify stressful thoughts to work. But there are many other ways.

One way is to act effectively so that you get what you want. This is the normal way that most of us use to seek happiness. You want to accomplish something, you set your mind to it, figure out how to do it, and with some luck you accomplish it. Then you enjoy the happiness that comes with achievement. But there’s another way to experience happiness.

On the one hand, it is hailed as the pinnacle of emotion. Everyone is looking for love. And on the other hand, it is sometimes scorned as materialistic or egoistic, especially by spiritual camps.

By beating myself up, I become the aggressor of myself. I (the aggressor) can then be “above” the mistakes I made. It’s very subtle, but it’s a way of avoiding taking responsibility.

​If you notice that you want to write a perfect worksheet, it’s time to stop and look at your motives. Why do you want to write a perfect worksheet, or even just a good worksheet?

I think my favorite question has always been, “Why?” “Why?” leads to curious explorations and layers of understanding. And often there is no end to “Why?” Every “Why?” has an answer, and every answer has another “Why?” Just ask any child. This is philosophy. And it’s wonderful to explore. But it’s quite different from The Work of Byron Katie.

It’s time for the third annual Address Book Challenge. Take out your address book and have a look. You’ll probably find a rather complete list of relatives, including both immediate and extended family.