Trial and Error, Ego and Awareness

One of the most tried and true methods for problemproblem permanently.
solving is the trial and error method. Despite its lack ofLet me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
sophistication, sometimes it's the most efficient choice,You exist only in the present moment. Your past is
especially because it can succeed where othercomposed of memories, but you still access those
methods fail. With trial and error, you're alwaysmemories in your present. Your past is only real -- it
guaranteed a learning experience, and you'll oftenonly has existence to you -- when you consciously
identify multiple solutions as you experiment.focus your attention on it. It is your attention that gives
Yet how often do we fail to proceed to the trial phaseyour past its power, and it is also your attention that
because we're afraid of experiencing the error?feeds your ego. You can choose to stop focusing so
We make the mistake of believing that the error ismuch attention on your ego and your personal history,
somehow harmful to us, when it is actually helpful.and instead you can redirect that attention to identify
Each error is the feedback we need to formulate amore with your consciousness and your awareness. In
new trial, one that will hopefully lead to new errors andother words you stop thinking of yourself in terms of
new trials until we ultimately converge on anyour memories, and you start thinking of yourself in
acceptable solution. So an error is not a failure. Anterms of your consciousness. You have access to
error is in fact merely a step on the path to a success.your memories just as you have access to the
No errors usually means no successes.information on this web site, but your memories are not
The irony is that we may fear success even moreequal to you.
than failure because to our egos, success is aFor example, I can identify myself as Steve Pavlina, a
double-edged sword.guy who runs a personal development web site, a
On the one hand, if your experiment works, then youwriter, a speaker, a husband and father, etc. That is
get the results you want. But on the other hand, if youmy ego and my past. But those things don't exist to
get the results you want, then you also have to faceme in this present moment as I type this. I do not think
the fact that you were making a continuous mistake allof myself in these terms as I go about my day.
the while you were "not testing."Instead, I regard myself simply as consciousness and
For example, if you ask your boss for a raise, and sawareness. So the "I" with which I refer to myself is
he says yes, then the good news is that you get thenothing but my own attention, my ability to become
raise now. But the bad news is that you have toaware of things (including my own past if I so chose).
accept that maybe you could have gotten it last yearAnd in that state, there is no ego and therefore no
(or sooner) just by asking as you did today. You havefear. I am not compelled to behave a certain way out
to face the fact that fear held you back.of fear; I have the freedom to choose my response. I
In the long run, it's better to face that fear and to finallyhave the freedom to create a present moment that is
achieve the results you want than it is to deny yourdisloyal to my past in a purely linear sense. I do not
past fear and simultaneously prevent yourself fromhave to identify myself based on my history if I see
making the attempt today. I suspect that in some areathat it no longer serves me to do so. My ego says that
of your life, there's a past fear that's still holding youif I am a speaker today, I must be a speaker
back -- an area where you could achieve greatertomorrow. It says that if I make a discovery today, that
success if you could only allow yourself to be OK withit's a shame I didn't discover it sooner. Using my ego as
facing up to a previous mistake.a reference point is extremely limiting. The ego always
In running my shareware games business, I had awants to protect and preserve it's current identity, but
reputation for doing a lot of testing. I was frequentlythis gets in the way of raising one's consciousness to
running experiments like testing different kinds of orderthe point where peace reigns over fear.
forms or home page layouts. Most tests didn't produceI realize this is a very different level of thinking than
the results I was hoping for, but all of them producedthat at which this post began. But this is the level at
information. However, those tests that did producewhich I had to begin thinking in order to feel totally free
results invariably forced me to face two facts: 1) Hereto create my present without feeling trapped by my
was a more effective way of generating results that Ipast. Otherwise I'd always be tied to a history that
could apply immediately (wonderful), and 2) I missedwas formed at a lower level of thinking (when I was
out on those results in the past by not running this testyounger and less experienced).
sooner (hmmm).What would happen if we all stop worrying about
We have an easy time accepting #1, but I know a lotprotecting our egos and related both to ourselves and
of people who cannot bring themselves to face #2.each other as fully conscious beings?
They fear it. Imagine running a business for 5 yearsThink of how many problems in the world could be
selling products at a certain price (call it X)? It'seasily solved if those involved could release their
understandable you might experience trepidation aboutattachment to the past and allow themselves to
running an experiment to see if 2X or 3X or 0.5Xconsciously co-create the present as they truly
would be more effective. What if one simplewanted it to be. This means using consciousness as
experiment -- the kind that you can setup with anthe primary point of reference instead of ego. At this
online business in about an hour if you know whatlevel we are free to experiment without fear of regret
you're doing -- could instantly reveal a way to doublefrom our past. We can break with our past because it
your income? Coupled with your joy at unearthing thisis not who we are anyway.
discovery is the regret that you missed out on a lot ofThis is how I think of you as a person reading this site. I
income by not doing it sooner.do not primarily regard you as a programmer or a
How often do we find ourselves so deeply invested inmarketer or a father of three. Rather, I see you as a
our egos and in our past that we miss opportunities forfellow conscious being, one that happens to identify
a brighter future?itself in these roles from time to time -- and one that is
If today you could successfully double your income,also free to choose his/her own identity and roles. And
get a date with the person you've only dreamed ofon that level, we are already -- and always --
asking out, find a job you truly loved, or experience aconnected. The past and our egos are only illusions
diet that sent your energy skyward, would you notthat get in the way of this connection.
also feel some regret about not doing it sooner? AndYes, you have a past. But your past only governs
each year that passes when you don't act, aren't youyour present moment to the degree you focus your
making the burden of that future regret even greater...attention on it (such as by recalling memories and
to the point where it could paralyze you from takingidentifying with them). Ultimately, consciousness is
those very actions that would ultimately producestronger than circumstances. Regardless of your
success?current circumstances, you always have the option of
This is a tough block, is it not?exercising conscious choice to create what you want
What allowed me to get past this block was thein your reality. I think this is one of the key lessons we
realization that ultimately we face a personal choiceare here to learn as human beings -- how to utilize the
here. This is one of those situations where raising yourpower of our conscious minds to create what we
consciousness beyond a certain point will neutralize thewant.