You know that voice in your head? The one that's chatting all the time? It's the thing that's keeping you from paying attention to that person who's talking to you. It's keeping you from being able to concentrate on what you're reading. That is your Ego-Based Mind. IT IS NOT YOU!

Want proof? Listen to it for a while, and you'll see that it only has 9 kinds of thoughts, and they're listed in the table below.

Being aware of this is the first step of liberation from it.

1. Thoughts about the Future
1. Worry/dread about a future event
2. Planning for a future event
3. Enthusiastic anticipation of a future event
   
2. Thoughts about the Past
1. Dwelling on a missed opportunity from the past
2. Wishing a pleasurable past relationship, event, experience would happen again
3. Reliving past memories including: movies, trips, experiences
   
3. Discomfort about the Present
1. Wishing things were different than they are: a person, a relationship, job, finances, etc.
2. Wishing that the present moment would just get out of the way so that a brighter future might come
3. Wishing to live in the past, when things were so much better than they are now