Make a date with yourself this week to spend at least 15 minutes alone. You may choose to go for a walk or sit quietly by yourself. In the first five minutes of your time alone, concentrate on your surroundings and your experience. This may include your breath, your steps (if walking), any sounds around you, the feel of the air, and the felt experiences in your body. If you find your attention wandering to thoughts of past or future, just kindly bring your attention back to your immediate surroundings and experience.

After you’ve spent at least five minutes being present to your surroundings and your experience, consider your own ego. In what ways, if any, does your ego appear inflated? In what ways, if any, does your ego appear as weak or passive? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions—the goal is simply to notice what arises when you check in with yourself from this space of attention. You may want to keep a journal to record any thoughts or reflections that arise.