Your identity is a detailed concept about yourself that you cart around with you through life. It is a jumble of evaluations, opinions, rules, and perceptions about yourself that serves as a filter through which you view every experience. For example, if your filter contains the thoughts and beliefs that this is an angry world, you will continually see angry people and situations around you.

The problem is that you may not be aware of even a small percentage of the enormous number of beliefs about yourself and the world that you hold. Your beliefs about life and yourself are so ever-present that you often do not even know that they are there. They can be likened to the air that is all around us, but we are rarely aware of it. In other words, the more aware you become of the thoughts, concepts, and perceptions you have about who you are, the more you begin to discern who you really are.

Today, observe your thoughts and the situations around you—become the Sacred Observer. Watch your internal dialogue, and observe the language and words that you use. If you discern that your language is filled with disempowering words, consider substituting more empowering ones. You feel different when you use different words.

Changing your language can change your life. For example:

“I am depressed” can become “I am a little down.”

“I am exhausted” can become “I am recharging.”

“I am pissed off” can become “I am a tad cranky.”

“I am lonely” can become “I am open for love.”

“I am overwhelmed/overloaded” can become “I am stretching myself to discover my capabilities.”

“I have too much to do” can become “I am expanding my horizons or “I’m seeing what I’m capable of.”

“I am okay” can become “I am great!”

“I am all right” can become “I am superb!”

“I am good” can become “I am excellent!”

Be aware of your reactions to the experiences you have on this day. Ask yourself, “For me to feel this way about this situation, what would I have to think and believe about myself and the world?” and write down those thoughts.

Become a silent witness for a day. Without judgment or evaluation, watch yourself, your actions, and your reactions. Observe the language you use. Do you use empowering or disempowering language when talking about yourself or about life? Notice the types of thoughts that you think on a consistent basis. Do your thoughts bring you closer to your authentic self or take you away from your source? Write down your observations in your journal.