Pay attention to what you pay attention to.
I joined a support voice chat lobby once in a mental-health community. Something another person there said really caught my attention: awareness is basically everything that it takes for change to happen. Those were not their exact words but the message remains the same. Here, the word awareness is referred to in its colloquial sense.
I did not believe it at first. I thought for change to happen, there must be some kind of action being taken, maybe some change in my circumstance or my environment, etc. And I was not wrong. There is a lot of factors coming into play when it comes to making a positive change in life. But awareness is still a key factor nonetheless. As I kept exploring my own awareness and where my attention goes to everyday, I came across this Sanskrit word Vasana, which, to my understanding, is best described as a "mental habit".
We function through our habits on a day-to-day basis. Brushing our teeth, showering before bed, scrolling on our phone, and drink soda pops. Habits are pretty much everywhere. And they serve a purpose. If I had to relearn how to tie my sneakers every time they are loosened, I would have just thrown them away and wear slippers instead. I sure do hope I keep that as a habit or else. Habits are about pattern recognitions and many more. But the list above included a series of physical actions. Our mind functions in a habitual way as well.
One mental habit that I have kept throughout the years is: "ask before trying to give advice to another person: would you prefer me to just listen or do you need some advice?" I was not doing anything, but this question does cross my mind whenever someone comes to me for emotional support.
Not all mental habits are helpful. My worst one is this: Just one more X. (Insert whatever I definitely do not need at the moment.)
The interesting thing is, once you pay attention to your mental habit, it melts away. Imagine yourself on a boxing ring with your own mind. To become aware that you are fighting your own mind moves yourself over to the audience seat. And now all of a sudden, you are no longer fighting.
It is hard to explain something so abstract as a Vasana. Whatever sentence that naturally came out of my head can be seen as a mental habit if you look closely enough. Me training myself to pay attention to what I am paying attention to is a Vasana. Me asking questions about why that thought occurred instead of something else is also a Vasana. 99% percent of our thoughts are habitual. I say 99% because I do not want to say 100%. THAT is also a mental habit of mine.
Just a few days ago, as I was observing my own thoughts, I thought about that one person in the support lobby. I suddenly understood what they were referring to. Your awareness could be more important than you think. Pay attention to what you pay attention to.