counting	the	grains	of	sand.
Perhaps
	
up	until	this	point,	you’ve	not	even	considered	your	thoughts	as
anything	other	than	a	literal	reflection	of	your	reality.	When	a	thought	enters,
you	take	it	seriously.	You	feel	it,	you	worry	about	it,	and	perhaps	even	begin
to	plan	based	on	it.	Accepting	thoughts	at	face	value	leads	to	fusing	your
identity	with	whatever	you’re	thinking	in	a	particular	moment.
There	should	be	a	space	between	you,	the	observer	you,	and	the	thoughts
your	mind	drops	on	you.	You’re	not	your	thoughts.	You’re	the	leader,	the
conductor,	the	captain—the	one	who	oversees	and	observes—your	thought
stream.
STRATEGY:
	
BECOME	AN	OBSERVER
Observing	your	thoughts	and	feelings	is	similar	to	standing	on	a	high	rock	to
watch	the	sea	and	reflect	on	its	many	changes.	You	notice	the	ocean	waves,
turbulent	at	times,	peaceful	at	others,	and	often	somewhere	in	the	middle.
From	the	safety	of	your	rock	it’s	easy	to	label	what	you’re	observing.	You	do
not	experience	yourself	as	the	changes.	You	are	the	one	noticing	the	changes.
Even	in	a	hurricane,	the	sea	eventually	becomes	calm	again.	Observe