See also Not-self. It is possible to notice an impulse, thought, desire, aversion, concern, etc, without identifying with that sensation. That is: the relationship can become “I sense a feeling of impatience” (akin to hearing a sound from the street outside), rather than “I’m impatient” or even “I can’t believe this is taking so long” (Everything takes longer than you think it will). This practice is not about ignoring impulses—you still sense them and can choose to act on them—but rather about making them an object rather than a subject, removing them from the driver’s seat, etc.
This is a practice I learned from Buddhism, though I imagine it’s a part of many contemplative traditions.
@vgr on work and identity: “You can’t do something effectively until you stop {being your doings}.”
Q. @vgr riffing on Kegan for career and identity: “I am my work, I have a job” -> “I am what I do, I have work to do in a job” -> ?
A. “I am, I have doings.”