Alarm goes off.
Ego says “You need more sleep”. I hit snooze.
I wake up 10 minutes later.
Ego says “You need more sleep”. I sit up.
Ego says “Oh no you are too sore to run”. I slowly scoot to the edge of bed.
Ego says “If you run 4 miles, you will be limping at work in this heat”. I stand up.
Ego says “If you run, tomorrow’s double martial arts class will be very difficult”. I stand up.
Ego says “You’re feet will be too sore to workout tonight”. I walk to the restroom.
Ego says “Just do the running tomorrow, then rest Friday for Saturday’s long run”. I use the restroom.
Ego says “If you run today, you won’t make your distance so it will be a waste”. I put on my running shorts.
Ego says “If you run today, you will be too sore to run tomorrow”. I walk to the front door.
Ego says “There’s no way you can do this; you don’t feel like it”. I put on my sandals.
Ego says “ If you run, you will not have time to do yoga before work”. I exit the house.
Ego says “Wait, it’s too hot and you’re already thirsty”. I start running.
Ego says “Just run half as much, that’s good enough”. I run the full amount.
When I finished, after all of the concern this Ego tried to prevent me from running this morning, I thanked it for its worry. I was in the state of mind to not take its advice this morning. I just listened, tried to be with those thoughts, staying separate. I still chose to run no matter how badly I could convince myself not to. I definitely don’t always succeed here, however. Sound familiar?
The key here is knowing this is not us. A lot of decision-making, as well as motivation, is hinged on this concept. It really applies to everything. We are not our auto pilot thoughts. Know this and practice and in time even something as simple as a morning run becomes effortless.
Well, unless it is a hard run.