(James 1:22-24)  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Trying to change your actions and your character by being mindful is pointless. Your mind changes and forgets things continuously. We must instead focus on changing our heart which drives our character and never forgets. The heart is consistent as our minds wander. Allowing the Holy Spirit to live in our heart gives us the ability to mature into the nature of God through sanctification and bypass the wandering and forgetfulness of our sinful minds. Our minds are emotionally variable, making them potential tools of the deceiver. If he can convince us to stay convicted only in thought then we will destroy our connection to God and His ability to work through the Spirit in our heart. The content of our heart is what people really see in us. Trying to cover up a sinful heart with mindful action inevitably fails. Having a heart filled with the Spirit of God allows our faith to be alive and clear through our works, making us a source of God’s light in this dark world.

(James 2:26) For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Just as your heart without the Spirit is dead.