I don’t know about yours, but my Inner Critic is a pain in the ass! She is not nice. But, she is smart. She knows exactly how and where to get me.

I recently experienced a shrinkage of Self.

It happens sometimes.

And, it will probably happen again.

I am human after all—one that is open to experiencing the depths of what that means.

I was lost in the labyrinth of who I am.

I am someone who can easily fall into a state of listlessness. It usually begins with procrastination. I have a Master’s degree in procrastination. I can spend hours upon days preoccupying myself from the things I want and need to do with menial tasks of pointless meandering.

Today, while at my local coffee house, instead of tucking my head into my iphone to kill the time, as I usually do while I wait for my order, I decided to see what it would be like to not have that distraction and just be present in the room with everyone else.

Last week, I experienced an exchange with a friend where I had to feast on an extra sized portion of Humble Pie. For days I rationalized how I was tricked, victimized and forced to behave in the way that I did. I told myself all sorts of stories about how wronged I was and misunderstood, how it was the ignorance of the other person that caused me to speak out in such unkindly ways.

People often come to me for help in overcoming obstacles they are facing. After spending some time talking about what they perceive to be in the way of obtaining their goal, I always ask the question, “What do you want?” This question seems to provoke a long pause accompanied by a confused expression and an extended period of stuttered and incomplete responses.

Remember the time you lashed out at your partner for something they did or didn’t do? How about the frustration you felt toward a friend while listening to them speak of their afflictions – again? Or the severe impatience you experienced over the pace of traffic or the line at the grocery store? Or when you felt judged by a comment someone made to you?

These are your triggers.

How often do you find your mind somewhere else? How engaged do you feel in your daily activities?

By paying greater attention to the twists and turns in the road and our responses to them, we are able to engage in way that will allow us to feel more fulfilled and satisfied with our lives.