A Talk To Your Mind from Your Mind

We are creatures of habit. So, we must observe.

Let’s break this down to understand how our minds work. If we pay attention to our thoughts, we’ll notice that we often operate on autopilot. It’s like a program running in the background, keeping us from noticing our own thinking patterns and behaviors.

The great Upanishads have a saying, “The mind is the instrument that can become either a means of liberation or a means of bondage.”

So, what will it be? Can we take control of our thoughts? Hmm, that’s a good question. I believe we can, but not in the usual sense of “control.” By observing our thoughts, we start to see the internal beliefs that shape who we are. This awareness helps us understand our thought patterns and guide them intentionally. Naturally, we tend to accept whatever crosses our mind, welcoming it as casually as we’d greet a neighbor.

“Welcome home.” You open the door, but this is what you overlook. Every thought races through your mind, swarming like bees. Without noticing—and almost out of habit—you let them in. When we struggle to understand the depth of our own confusion, we fail to bring clarity within. The cycle repeats, leaving us feeling trapped in the chaos of our own neurosis.

So, we dig—into the unconscious mind.

If we, as humans, come to a realization about the deeper layers of our minds, we must explore the subconscious. The Japanese term "mono no aware" captures this awareness—the recognition that everything in existence is temporary. It’s the bittersweet understanding of the fleeting beauty in nature and in everyday life.

When we become aware of our thinking habits, we start breaking down the mental programs that run on autopilot. Our behaviors are shaped by past relationships, experiences, and traumas. These remain stored as memories, both physical and mental. Every instruction we receive, every pattern we repeat, is rooted deep in the subconscious. How you were raised, your beliefs, what distresses or pleases you—all of it forms the foundation of your psyche. To truly understand yourself, you must examine this hidden part of your mind.

The unconscious mind is like a vast archive of thoughts, habits, and memories that allow us to function as a system. It processes the illusions we feed it and transforms them into the stories that define who we are. A therapist once explained it like this: “When working with a new patient, I draw a large circle. Inside that circle is a tiny sliver—this represents the conscious mind. The rest, 95% or more, is the unconscious.”

If you work on yourself long enough, you’ll discover how much of your mind operates beyond your awareness—and you’ll uncover the boundless potential of your imagination. But this discovery only becomes valuable when you begin working from the inside out.

The first step to self-awareness is knowing yourself. To truly explore who you are, you must study your habits. And to do that, you need to observe yourself on three levels: actions, speech, and thoughts. Even though we think we know ourselves intellectually, true understanding only comes through practice. Our thoughts, emotions, deeds, and behaviors require real, ongoing observation. Through this self-study, we begin to experience and understand our internal states.

This is how the path to true self-knowledge begins.