Who’s Driving the Bus? Taking Command of Your Own Mind

(Inspired by Using Your Brain for a Change)

Most people live as passengers in their own minds. They’re on a bus, heading somewhere vaguely familiar, and they’ve mistaken the rumble of the engine for direction. The trouble is, the unconscious mind doesn’t always take the scenic route—it takes the familiar one.

Every reaction you have is a learned pattern. The quick irritation. The hesitation before making a decision. The voice that questions your abilities right before you take action. None of this is “who you are.” It’s simply the driver your brain hired years ago when you weren’t paying attention.

NLP teaches that awareness is access. The moment you notice a pattern, you can interrupt it. Close your eyes for a moment and picture that old bus route—the one that goes in circles. See it from above. Now imagine switching drivers. Step forward, sit in the seat, feel your hands on the wheel. Look out through your own eyes again. That’s what it feels like to reclaim control.

Running your own brain means you decide which thoughts get airtime. It means taking command of your focus—because focus determines feeling, and feeling determines behaviour. The next time you catch yourself drifting into frustration, anxiety, or procrastination, ask yourself: Who’s driving this? Then take the wheel.

Self-leadership starts internally. Once you master it there, the external world falls in line.

If this idea resonates, join the DSNLP masterclasses Because once you can drive your mind, the road ahead becomes yours to design.