I have one really tough question for you.  It may be the most important question you ever answer.  Before I ask it, I want to give you some very brief but powerful information.  Take it seriously.  Your life probably depends on it.

Most people (approximately 90-95%) have almost no f@#$%&*! idea about who they truly are and what they are truly capable of being and becoming.  Yes, there are exceptions.  We tend to think of them as heroes, saints and generally amazing individuals who have something that we do not have.  However, if you think this way you are dead wrong.  The truth is everyone has the capability of waking up and becoming a person more wonderful, more accomplished, more creative and more of a blessing to the world than they can imagine. 

How does this happen?  Better yet, how could it happen to you?

It could happen to you if you are willing to give a heartfelt and total answer to the following question:

When will I finally drop my wimpy, childish, grossly inhibited self-image and open my heart and mind to my real Higher Self?

I am not kidding about this question.  Most people never seriously ask the question and fewer seriously answer it.  However, the ones who do, change the world.  I don’t know if you have looked lately but the world could use some help…from you!

A serious answer to my question does not make you selfish or narcissistic.  Instead it moves you a giant step closer to becoming the person you were put here to be.  That person is more incredible than you can imagine, and she or he is what this world needs. 

I have spent quite a bit of energy, over the last 35 years of counseling, in developing highly effective spiritual and psychological techniques and tools for helping individuals wake up to their true and best selves.  I hope that you will take advantage of some or all of them. 

To start this process, I am sharing with you this self-test to determine if you are asleep at the wheel of your life. By reading this self-test and applying the homework, you have taken the first steps to creating a more meaningful life for yourself and those around you.

Here is your self-help wake-up test.  Enjoy!

The Asleep at the Wheel Checklist

Dr. Matthew Anderson

1. I am over 21 and I still have almost all of my parents’ values.
2. I am seldom introspective.
3. I have never gone to therapy and probably never will.
4. I have never read a self-help book.
5. I think I really know who I am in almost every facet of my life.
6. I seldom explore new ideas or belief systems.
7. I still eat the same foods I ate before I was 21.
8. I avoid people who have different values and beliefs than I have.
9. I think this whole idea of the Unconscious is silly.  What you see in me is basically all there is.
10. Over the last 5 years I have learned nothing new about myself.
11. When I have difficulties in relationships I usually see the other person’s faults and not my own.
12. I seldom take risks of any kind.
13. I believe that I can achieve all my life goals by the time I am 40.
14. I don’t have exciting life goals.  I simply want to get by.
15. I seldom feel inspired or enthused about my life.
16. I am currently living the life my family expected me to live.
17. I have lived in the same city my whole life.
18. I am afraid that really waking up will cause me to make scary changes in my life.
19. I spend most of my time with people who do not challenge me to grow.
20. Safety is more important to me than growth.
21. I know what other people think of me (friends and enemies).
22. I have never attended a self-help workshop or seminar.

Homework

1. Review the list above and notice which points spoke to you.  Make a note about Why.
2. Notice which points made you uncomfortable.  Write them down and see if you can identify the real source of discomfort.  Assume that there is something for you to learn from that kind of discomfort.
3. Select one item from the “Asleep” list above and create a plan to begin waking up in that area of your life.
4. Take a trip to a large bookstore and visit the self-help section.  Browse through the books until a book “grabs” you.  Buy it and read it.  This is one way your Unconscious will begin to support your waking up process.

[Ed. note: Dr. Matthew Anderson is the author of The Prayer Diet, a seasoned counselor, and a national columnist/expert on weight loss, motivation, self-management and relationships. To find tough-minded, outside-the-box guidance for taking charge of your life and/or your weight, including Eating to Kill, click here.]

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