What Is Awareness? (And Why It Matters) | Understanding Consciousness

Here's a strange question: Who's watching your thoughts right now?

You're thinking—thoughts are moving through your mind. But something is aware of those thoughts. What is that?

Today we're exploring awareness—the part of you that never changes. This might sound abstract, but it's actually the most practical thing I can share with you.

Because when you realize you're not your thoughts, everything shifts.

🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms
Tools for working with thoughts from the place of awareness
Download: https://workwithgrace.lpages.co/starter-kit-first-response-guide-to-thought-storms/

In this video:

The difference between thoughts and the awareness watching them
Why you are the screen, not the movie
Michael Singer's question: "Who notices you're thinking?"
One practice to try this week: noticing thoughts without being controlled by them

Key insight: Your thoughts change constantly. Your feelings change. Your circumstances change. But awareness? Awareness never changes. It's the constant.

"You are not your thoughts. You are the space in which your thoughts arise." - Anthony de Mello

This is part of my series exploring how minds work and the nature of human experience.

Drawing from wisdom teachers like Michael Singer, Anthony de Mello, Byron Katie, and the understanding that we are not our thinking—we are the awareness observing it.

New videos 3x/week:
📅 Video 1 - How minds work, therapy insights, wisdom teachings
📅 Video 2 - Inquiry for compulsive behaviors (eating, drinking, scrolling, etc.)
📅 Video 3 - The Work of Byron Katie + Grace Note readings

CONNECT:
🌐 Website: workwithgrace.com
📧 Email: gracewithwork@gmail.com
💬 What's one thought you're going to practice noticing this week? Drop it in the comments.

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Today's Grace Note is about making inquiry accessible—because you don't need perfect conditions to question your thoughts.

Someone once asked me: "How long does The Work take? I don't have time to journal for an hour every time I'm upset."

Here's the truth: you can question a thought in under five minutes. In the car. While making coffee. While your kid is getting their shoes on.

The point isn't to do it perfectly. The point is to do it.

🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms
Includes the 4 Questions laid out step-by-step for quick inquiry
Download: https://workwithgrace.lpages.co/starter-kit-first-response-guide-to-thought-storms/

In this video:

The 5-minute speed version of Byron Katie's inquiry process
Why waiting for "perfect conditions" keeps you stuck
Step-by-step breakdown: 6 steps in 5 minutes

Byron Katie's Four Questions:

Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it's true?
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without that thought?
Turn the thought to the opposite, to yourself, switch places with the other

This week's practice: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Pick one recurring stressful thought. Question it using the steps in this video.

This is part of my series: Grace Notes + The Work of Byron Katie.
Grace Notes are excerpts from my newsletter (2011-present) where I documented my inquiry journey. At the end of each week I share one concept from a Grace Note and then dive into a practice from The Work.
New to The Work? Visit thework.com for free resources and worksheets.

New videos 3x/week:
📅 Mondays - How minds work, therapy insights, wisdom teachings
📅 Wednesdays - Inquiry for compulsive eating & addiction
📅 Fridays - The Work of Byron Katie + Grace Note readings

CONNECT:
🌐 Website: workwithgrace.com
📧 Email: gracewithwork@gmail.com
💬 What's your biggest barrier to doing inquiry? Let me know in the comments.

"I Can't Stop" - Is It True? | Client Story Using The Work

"I can't stop eating." or I can't stop drinking or I can't stop thinking about my ex-boyfriend.

If you've ever thought this and felt completely defeated by it, this video is for you.

Today I'm sharing a common client story about what happens when we question this thought using Byron Katie's inquiry process.

🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: First Response Guide to Thought Storms
Includes the 4 Questions framework for questioning any stressful thought
Download: https://workwithgrace.lpages.co/start...

In this video:

Why "I can't stop" is not actually true
The four questions that revealed what was really happening
The difference between "I can't stop eating" and "I can't stop thinking about eating" and also "I can't stop feeling"

Bring curiosity to your wonderful self--this is the peaceful path. Put your behavior out of a job more naturally, instead of applying aggression.

Key insight: The problem isn't the eating. It's thoughts about the eating that makes you feel powerless, and thoughts about life that make you feel powerless.

This is part of my Wednesday series on inquiry for emotional eating and compulsive behaviors.
While I focus on emotional eating, this questioning process works for any "I can't stop" thought—drinking, scrolling, worrying, people-pleasing.

New videos 3x/week:
📅 Mondays - How minds work, therapy insights, wisdom teachings
📅 Wednesdays - Inquiry for compulsive eating & addiction
📅 Fridays - The Work of Byron Katie + Grace Note readings

CONNECT:
🌐 Website: workwithgrace.com
📧 Email: gracewithwork@gmail.com
💬 What's one "I can't stop" thought you'd like to question? Drop it in the comments.