The next breakthrough happened around 2009. It started by watching myself going through the day, especially during times of routine physical activities such as washing dishes, taking a shower, brushing my teeth, etc. Being overlearned activities, it is easy to “let go” of the feeling of controlling it, and just fall back into the role of pure watcher, or witness, as the activities keep being done without a break. Eventually the realization dawned on me, at a gut level, that “I” am not in control of any of it! It just keeps happening on its own. Whether I think I control it or not makes little difference. Actually, as any performer will tell you (musician, athlete, video game player, etc.) if “you” interfere in the action, your performance often degrades significantly.This is quite a liberating insight, more than it may appear. Once you really take it in deeply it leads to a letting go, a relaxing into whatever happens. It is a huge weight off your shoulders because now you see that “you” are not responsible for any of it! Instead of constantly planning and worrying, you can just put the weight down, relax, and enjoy the ride. Everything keeps getting done anyways, even better and more smoothly than before. At this stage though there is still the illusion of a passive witness to it all.