Walsh, Hughes, Pearce

So there was a lot of talk about hypnosis and how there a similarities between different ASOC's (including, but not limited to: shamans, hypnosis, music, drug-induced, etc.) Here's my question: can i be my own hypnotist? don't we all have the innate ability to suggest ideas and thoughts to ourselves---this is how we form perceptions and opinions, right? then, as we've learned, we seek and find information to back these perceptions and opinions up---give them meaning and value. well then, i am in fact capable of anything i put my mind to, huh? more on this later...........i have to point out that i was over at my cousin's house the other sunday watching football and his daughter was playing in the next room. had it not been for this class i would not have paid any attention to her playing (other than general concern for her safety, of course), but i found myself watching her play with inamimate toys while sitting on the floor (eating dinner i think). when told to come and actually eat 'real' food, she said she was busy. i laughed. to me, it looks like she's playing with a stuffed animal and eating air---but who knows what she was really doing. i do remember having a difficult time as a child wanting to 'play' anything that was 'not real' because i thought it was stupid or that someone would laugh at me. how unfortunate! to me, i didn't have time for things that were imaginary---for my niece, she didn't have time for us and our 'real' food. ha! ok, back to this whole idea about being my own hypnotist. i'm going to try to explain something that i've been going over in my mind but haven't been able to put to words yet. i think i have this idea but haven't been able to express in any sort of satisfactory way---so maybe someone can help. here goes: i have a pretty bad memory so i'm constantly writing notes for myself to remember to do something. i joke that i actually have a "to do list" to remind me to do my "to do list". nevermind that........ why is it that when i write things down to do (1,2,3,4,5, etc.) they'll get accomplished and generally in that order. but if i don't write them down, then they won't. i realize on the surface this seems like i'm just reminding myself to do them---but i think there's more. i feel like my plans have a better chance of coming true/happening if i write them down (put them in the physical world rather than just thoughts in my mind). if my "to do" list is an outline or blueprint for my time that day, then can't i just pick and choose what i'm going to do. is my "to do" list suggesting (like a hypnotist) what i'm going to do next? i still feel like i'm not fully explaining myself. i guess what i want to know is.......if i don't write something down on my "to do list" for a certain day (ex.: 1, 2, 3, __ 5, 6, 7) did i not do it because i forgot to do it or because i didn't write it down? see the difference?????????