The Work
Question stressful thoughts by observing who you are with and without them
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
Byron Katie's The Work is a structured inquiry into thoughts that cause stress. Varty describes writing worksheets and treating the questions as meditation rather than trying to produce clever answers. First identify a thought and observe, in detail, who you become when you believe it: the feelings, confidence, choices, and behaviors it generates. Then consider who you would be without that thought and notice the different state and options that become available. Ferriss adds the use of turnarounds, such as changing “I am not safe” to “I am safe,” and requiring concrete examples that support the alternative. The mechanism breaks the selective attention that gathers evidence only for the original belief and replaces automatic identification with observation, compassion, and a wider range of possible responses.
Origin
Varty described how Byron Katie's worksheets became powerful once he practiced them as meditation and observed himself with and without each stressful thought.
Core principles
- 01A stressful belief can be identified and questioned
- 02Inquiry works as meditation rather than a rushed intellectual exercise
- 03Observing the believed thought reveals its behavioral consequences
- 04Imagining life without the thought exposes other available responses
- 05Turnarounds interrupt selective attention for one interpretation
How to run it
- 1
Identify the stressful thought
Write the specific thought you are taking to be true. Use the actual sentence driving the stress rather than a broad label for the emotion.
Pro tip Start with a recurring statement such as believing you will never achieve what you want.
Watch out Do not treat a vague mood as though it were the underlying belief.
- 2
Sit in the belief
Approach the worksheet as meditation and give the thought time to become observable. Notice rather than argue with your experience.
Pro tip Let concrete feelings and behaviors arise before interpreting them.
Watch out Rushing to a preferred answer turns inquiry into performance.
- 3
Observe the believed self
Ask who you are when you believe the thought. List the emotional, behavioral, and relational consequences you can directly recognize.
Pro tip Include actions such as overcommitting, withdrawing, or ignoring a genuine no.
Watch out Do not use the observation as another reason to attack yourself.
- 4
Remove the thought
Ask who you would be without the thought. Observe the feelings, attention, and choices that become available when it is not organizing your experience.
Pro tip Compare the two states without forcing the original thought to disappear permanently.
Watch out The exercise is not a demand to deny difficult facts.
- 5
Test the turnaround
Reverse or reframe the original statement and produce real examples that support the alternative. Use the evidence to loosen the original belief's monopoly on attention.
Pro tip Choose examples specific enough that they can be checked.
Watch out A turnaround without evidence becomes empty positive thinking.
In the wild
Varty examined the thought that he would never achieve what he wanted. Believing it left him frustrated, unconfident, afraid of missing out, and saying yes to things he did not want. Without it, he saw himself as relaxed, open, grateful, and able to listen for genuine yes and no responses.
→ The contrast exposed how the belief shaped his behavior and revealed a more receptive set of choices.
Ferriss describes reversing “I am not safe” into “I am safe” and requiring examples or evidence for the new statement. The exercise counters the selective attention that otherwise notices only support for the original belief.
→ Concrete counterevidence can reduce the emotional intensity and repetitive thought loop around the belief.
Common mistakes
Answering intellectually
Varty found the process became powerful when he treated it as meditation and actually observed each state.
Using inquiry as denial
Questioning a thought should widen perception, not erase facts or excuse avoiding necessary action.
Skipping turnaround evidence
An unsupported opposite statement does not challenge the selective attention maintaining the original belief.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for recurring beliefs that intensify fear, pressure, resentment, or self-doubt.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as a substitute for professional care, immediate safety action, or factual investigation of a real threat.
From the transcript
“there is nothing more profound than being able to identify thoughts that are causing you stress and then have a system to question them”
“who am I when I believe that thought”
“who would I be without without the thought”
From the episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Boyd Varty