MASTERING YOUR Ego

As you move through this day, please take a moment and become conscious of your thoughts and how they affect your emotions, the words you speak, and the actions you make each day.

Your ego is the false self we have created over time to protect ourselves in this world. It is not who we are but who we need to become to avoid pain. Ok, at your thoughts today. Notice the ones that are from a positive space or those that are from your ego. The ego’s voice cares very little about your happiness and certainly doesn’t care about the happiness of others. It cares about eliminating pain from your life. There are three messages to ignore. If you want to find absolute joy in life, you have to learn to move beyond your ego.

Control

The ego loves to send messages which seem to control everything. If you can try to control the people, circumstances, and activities of your life, you can make sure that nothing unexpected that will cause you pain will arise. This, of course, is impossible, and those in your life are not going to be free or happy trying to deal with your constant need for control. Control of this kind is only an illusion and will eventually end badly.

Try to plan for the future as best you can, but live in the present and do not form an attachment with a particular manner in which events unfold. Make positive choices pursue your goals and dreams. Take action toward them, and then allow the journey to guide you. Control is an illusion of the ego, created to make you think you are in charge of things. You are only human and will be disappointed if this is your goal. Let o try to control every aspect of life and enjoy living that will defeat the voice of ego.

Approval

At some point in life, most of us seek the approval of others to justify our value. Parents, peers, or society, in general, are our judges, and we measure our accomplishments according to the positive approval we receive. The need for support and worrying about what others think of us can be lifelong debilitation. If you live to be what others approve of, you never live life yourself. You feel you need or want to do will be pushed to the back. Creativity is put on the back burner because it doesn’t make any money.

Look to follow your heart and not care what others think, and you will defeat your egoic thoughts. The ego wants you to fit in, be one of the crowd, and never stand out or be original because it may lead to minimal ridicule. Better to be ridiculed for being yourself than to live a life never being truly who you are. Be what you are and let the world love it or hate it. That will defeat the egoic voice in your head.

Judgment

The need to judge others and point out their flaws is simple to understand. If you point out the flaws in others, you are automatically drawing attention away from the flaws that exist inside of yourself. If one else is wrong, you have to be right because you are the one providing the judgment. There are a few problems with this. Just because you don’t notice your flaws doesn’t mean they don’t exist. To knock others down to build yourself up is never healthy or helpful.

All people are doing the best they can with what they have to work with. Despite their differences and different choices, understanding and accepting others allows you to get yourself. Often t  flaws we see most clearly in others exist inside of us. All people are a lot more the same than they are different. Look at anyone and understand, there is a modified version of you. If you lived in their experience, you might live precisely like them. Look at o hers and yourself with softer eyes and understand rather than judge, and you will defeat the voice of ego.

Take some time today and consciously look at your thoughts in these areas. Let go of your need to control, seek approval, and judge others. Look for the ways you can allow others to be who they are, be who you are, and accept things as they are.

 “Ego judges and punishes. Love forgives and heals.” Anonymous

 “If someone corrects you and you feel offended, then you have an ego problem.” Nouman Ali Khan

“Is that you or your ego?” Anonymous

“Big egos are big shields for lots of space.” Diana Black