Until we "wake up," we spend our lives being driven by our ego. We want this, we hate that, we fear the other. Part of the process of awakening is starting the process of watching ourselves. We realize that there are two parts to our minds -- the ego, the part that desires, loathes, covets -- and another, new part which can watch the ego. Step 10 is a particularly useful way of exercising this new-found part. No moment that we spend watching our ego is ever wasted.

When we begin to watch ourselves, watch our ego, in this way, something interesting happens. For all of our unawakened lives, our ego has strutted the stage, drawing attention to itself, wanting to be the best, the most beautiful, the smartest ... and making our lives a misery as a result. But when we start to watch our ego with that new part of our mind, what a difference there is! That proud, boastful, self-fixated ego now seems desperate to hide. When we turn our attention to its pathetic little show, it doesn't seem to want to be in the spotlight any more. It's almost uncanny how quickly it disappears ....

And there's the clue, of course. It disappears because it isn't really there. It thinks it's there, and when we are our living our lives unthinkingly we too believe it's there. But the minute we go looking for it, it vanishes.

It'll be back, of course. Just as soon as our attention wavers, we're back in the crazy world of the ego. But constant practice of Step 10 teaches us that the ego isn't really there. Armed with that knowledge, we become more and more inclined to focus the spotlight of our attention on our chimerical ego every day of our lives.