1. Don’t be offended
If you are looking for reasons to be offended, you’ll find
them every few minutes. This mindset weakens you, forcing you to stay defensive
or belligerent, wasting way too much energy and mental focus in unnecessary
confrontations.
Being offended creates destructive energy, leading to a
never ending series of attacks and counterattacks. Of course, you should still
be offended by the many horrific things that happen in this World, but by not
letting your ego constantly complain about small things, you will learn to
truly focus on those things that are truly important and affect all of us
dramatically as a group and as individuals -poverty, wars, the environment,
etc.
Stay calm and live in peace.
2. Get rid of the need to win and to be right
To win is a foolproof method to avoid contact with your true
self. The need to win is a never ending rat race that will never allow you to
step aside and reflect on your actions. You cannot win all the time. Let go the
need for recognition. Forget the need to win and to be right, and your life
will improve overnight.
You don’t need to impose yourself to feel right. In fact,
living in a state of permanent competition against others is very detrimental
for yourself. I have seen many relationships get screwed by the need of certain
people to be always right. Don’t let that happen, it will ruin your life and
that of those around you.
“We must go beyond the constant
clamor of ego, beyond the tools of logic and reason, to the still, calm place
within us: the realm of the soul.” – Deepak
Chopra
3. Overcome the need to feel superior
Improving has nothing to do with being better than others.
Improving is all about being better than you were last day. Focus on your inner
growth, being constantly aware that no one is better than anyone else on this
planet.
The ego tends to judge everyone
and everything based on the appearance, achievements, possessions, value and
other metrics that make sense only from the ego point of view.
It loves to divide people between winners and losers. These kind of feelings
lead to resentment, confrontation and hostility against each other. These
feelings will pull you apart from others, and apart from the true enjoyment of
life.
4. Overcome the need for more
The ego is never satiated. It doesn’t matter how much you
have, your ego will keep on asking for more. It is never enough, you will be
trapped.
Ironically, when you overcome the ego, it feels as if you
have more than you want. You will realize how little you
really need, and will
be at peace. You will be pleased with yourself by simply living.
5.
Overcome the need for accomplishments
It may be a difficult to achieve this if you identify
yourself with all the things you have done. You are not your achievements. In
fact, you’re not your body. You are merely an observer. Look around and
appreciate the capabilities that you have at your disposal to achieve things
since you were born, but don’t let your ego take credit for it all.
After all, you are part of something much bigger than
yourself, have always been and will always be. The reputation that you identify
yourself with is located in the minds of others. It’s an illusion,
and it shouldn’t control you. If you talk to thirty different people, all
thirty will have different opinions.
Stop and meditate. Reconnect with the World. Follow what you
truly believe is your goal in this World, beyond what others think you should do at all. If you
worry about how others perceive your actions, you will end up losing touch with
your true self.
One last line of advice I would like to give you all is to keep
on going! Your ego is something
that has been formed from your conditioning and habits and you WILL be able to
let go of your ego with practice of the above.
