33 Ways to Spy on Yourself

September 08, 2008 4:59 PM

How often do you spy on yourself?

You know, to see how you’re doing. Checkin’ yourself out. Observing various situations and experiences behind that internal pane of two-way glass, taking furious notes.

It’s becoming kind of a hobby of mine.

But it’s not easy. Part of this process comes from your ability to detach, disassociate and sort of “get out of yourself” for a while, looking inward at your own behavior.

One practice I’ve found to be successful is self-questioning. Gently poking your inner landscape with an inquiry or two about what’s going on in the now.

Here’s a list of 33 Questions to add to your Self Spy Skit.

NOTE: Pick maybe 2-3 examples from this list. (You don’t want to flood your head with TOO many questions or else your brain might explode.)

Practice asking yourself these types questions on a regular basis in a relaxed, yet curious manner.

1. Am I contributing something?
2. Am I learning something?
3. Did I freely choose this value?
4. Do I truly cherish this value?
5. Have I considered other alternatives to this value and explored them fully?
6. Have I directly experienced this, or just heard it many times?
7. How am I making decisions?
8. How am I stepping out of my comfort zone?
9. How am I treating my own intuitive promptings?
10. How’s my breathing?
11. In what ways am I reacting, instead of responding?
12. In what ways am I attacking myself?
13. Is it my place to fix this?
14. Is this a thought or an impulse?
15. Is this as exciting as I thought it would be?
16. Is this consistent with what I value?
17. Is this experience helping me become the best version of myself?
18. Is this information necessary to the excellence of my work?
19. Is this particular problem part of a larger problem?
20. Is this person helping me become the best version of myself?
21. Is this person worth the time and effort it will take to save him?
22. Is this step necessary?
23. Is this thing helping me become the best version of myself?
24. Is what I’m doing RIGHT NOW consistent with my #1 goal?
25. What are the consequences of the choice I’m making?
26. What am I becoming?
27. What am I practicing?
28. What am I questioning?
29. What am I rationalizing?
30. What am I resisting?
31. What am I searching for?
32. What things I’m doing without thinking?
33. What’s the one HUGE thing I’m TOTALLY forgetting?

REMEMBER: Since you ARE spying on yourself, try not to get caught. See if you can create a sense of awareness in which your attention is focused on your own behavior, 100% in the moment, watching yourself as if you were the star of a mystery movie.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
When was the last time you spied on yourself?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a copy of my list called, “21 Things I Learned While Spying on Myself,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Is your frontline IN line?