Overcoming Mechanical Negativity Through a Focused Work-Aim

Now if you make a temporary aim not to be negative towards a particular person, not to consent to the mechanically-induced negative thoughts and feelings, not to go with them, not to listen to them (and above all if you find the same irritating things in yourself) then you will be standing in the Work—standing in the influences of the Work—which then can reach you and begin to change you. This is standing within your Work-aim. The influences of the Work, which are different from the influences of life, can reach you.

It is really quite simple. Make a clear-cut definite Work-aim of this kind and try to keep consciousness in it for a time. You will then see for yourself the result. But as a rule people never will make a simple clear-cut Work-aim of this kind. They merely worry or vaguely wonder what to do.

Maurice Nicoll, “On thinking in a New Way” in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 3, p. 908)