When I start thinking, thoughts seem to morph from one thought to another. “I need to mow the lawn” and suddenly the color green flashes before me. Now I’m thinking of “money” which leads to thoughts of retirement. Then I think, “who will care for me?” transforms to, “I wonder what it will be like to die alone?”

As I continue to contemplate the mind and its effects on who I am, I notice that many of its functions seem to be more deleterious than actually helpful to my overall wellbeing.

I’ve observed that my compulsive thinking habits certainly keep me out of the present moment. When my mind is racing from idea to idea and past to future how can I partake in a conscious state of allowing each moment to be just as it is?

How Do I Un-Enlighten My Mind?

Since we are already enlightened, and all we have to do is wake up to it, I ask myself the question, “How do I un-enlighten my mind?”

Holding on to old beliefs or fixed opinions un-enlightens my mind. These hardened thought forms keep our minds closed and unreceptive to new ways of thinking.

So when you hear yourself uttering a fixed opinion, stop. Remind yourself: “Energy flows where attention goes.” You can’t afford the luxury of a closed mind.

Mind: Friend or Foe?

Since our thoughts shape our future, being mindful of the conversations we have with ourselves can help us discover our purpose; and more importantly – who we are.

In my work as a coach, I help clients envision and target their ideal lives. Going for your best life requires that you let go of unconscious mind stuff that may be sabotaging your success. After all, why waste valuable energy and attention on thoughts that don’t serve you.

Are old ways of thinking preventing you from achieving the success in the life you see for yourself? Maybe it’s time for some new thinking.

New Mind: New Life

If you are in a constant state of struggle with yourself and unable to be fully present for more than a few moments, perhaps you are compulsively addicted to self-seeking habitual thought patterns.

Since struggling is how the small self maintains its existence, you may be reluctant to stop struggling for fear of losing the old definition of who you think you are.

At first, it’s a bit disconcerting to be boundless, but when you cease to identify with the limited self, a deeper dimension suddenly reveals itself to you and you begin to see the futility of resistance.

When you no longer seek yourself in the past and future, you are more able to embrace and accept each moment just as it is.

Let It Be

I love the song, “Let it Be” by the Beatles.

Without the boundaries of the mind, allow and accept each moment just as it is. Rather than limit yourself to the small self – why not embrace the wholeness and all-inclusiveness of life.

Do you have the courage to allow the enormous power of life to flow through you?

Whispering words of wisdom, let it be.

Less Mind On Purpose

So this morning I woke up thinking, “What would it be like to spend a whole day thinking less?”

In my meditation, I let go of all beliefs about myself and the world around me. I went a step further and let go of doubt, fear and worry. After asking myself what was left, I let go of blame, addictions, judgments, view points and memories. I also let go of any future thoughts like planning, career or fun.

As I continued to observe what was left on the playing field of my mind, I realized that what remained was quite nice. A simple joy came over me. I felt light and unburdened. I was actually enjoying peace of mind.

This practice made me aware of the enormous power of the mind and how we identify with it.

Less Mind: More Being

In the simplicity of each moment you discover that you are free. There is a sense that all is well and that’s where love lives.

You are not bounded or restricted by your limited mind. You widen your circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and all of nature in its wholeness.

You let go of everything your mind has created and you awaken to who you truly are.

“The important thing is not to think much but to love much; do, then, whatever most arouses you to love.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila

Someone asked me, “What are you afraid of?” I stopped in my tracks. Being homeless and living under a bridge ranked high up there. But as I thought deeper, and after writing my fears down in my journal, I realized that I was afraid of success.

All I could think about was the future. What if I became so successful that I didn’t have time to meditate, write music or play the guitar? Am I ready for the rigors of speaking engagements, workshops and travel?

With awareness, I began to see that this fear was blocking my progress, and I was looking at my life through the lens of this limiting belief.

What’s Holding You Back?

Beliefs are merely repeated thoughts about how you see yourself and the world around you. We protect our beliefs and hold them close to us until they become hardened and crystallized. But they can prevent us from living the life we see for ourselves.

I was surprised to find limiting beliefs lodged in my psyche. After all, I had been a meditator for many years and I thought I had cleaned out all that old rubbish.

What Do You Do Best?

As I thought deeper, I asked myself the question, “Why do I show up the world?” It became apparent that I am here to serve. This is who I think I am. And in order to efficiently serve, I must remain focused on what I do best.

I seek to help others uncover their Divinity aspect. When we are aligned with our truth, we live on purpose. And living on purpose propels our collective evolution.

Think Different

Research has shown that we think 80,000 thoughts a day! 79,000 of them are the same thoughts we had yesterday. How can we create new realities with the same old thinking?

I have created a new belief – the encouraging belief that I can easily overcome and release all limiting beliefs and move forward in the life I see for myself.

You can too.

The first step is awareness. If you catch yourself thinking thoughts that no longer serve you, all you need is to do is wake up to the reality that it’s time for some new thinking.

Are you worth it?

If you’re having trouble moving past old ways of thinking, hire a coach. A coach can offer objectivity and support you through your self-discovery. A coach can help you define who you think you are. A coach can help you discover your Divinity aspect.

I realize that if I focus on what I do best, I’ll have plenty of time to do all things I enjoy. And in that process, I’ll make a valuable contribution to the world.

I remind myself that I am in essence joy. After all, we were created in joy. Across all cultures of the world, we laugh, dance and sing.

So as long as every moment is spent in the awareness of joy, my future will take care of itself.

They tell me how unhappy they are in their current jobs or lives but they are unwilling to invest the necessary time to write about their passions, meditate or reflect on exactly what will bring them the fulfilling life they desire.

They prefer to go about their daily lives on autopilot, thinking the same old thoughts, and living unhappy lives.

Go For the Gold: Learn To Meditate

I have found that the practice of meditation has been instrumental in helping clear away non-essential mind chatter and old conditioned beliefs from my interior mental landscape.

When I get rid of the mind rubbish, I gain valuable flashes of insight into the feelings I want to feel and the vision I have for my ideal life.

It’s like standing at the center of the cyclone, when the world is going crazy all around you, you stand at the center, in peace. From this unruffled vantage point, it’s easier to gain perspective.

Mind: Servant or Master?

Like a bee flying from flower to flower, the mind is always buzzing in different directions. It also has its routines, patterns and opinions and its preferred ways of thinking.

Learning to bring the mind to a one-pointed focus brings clarity to your inner world. And with practice, you bring great focus into everything you do.

By watching your thoughts as they land on the runway of your mind, you can see with increased awareness the kinds of thoughts that create and direct your life.

To Get the Nectar, Go Deep

Before meditation, set an intention. “I intend to quiet my mind, to be intensely present, to experience wholeness, and to gain insight into my life.”

Turn off the radio, computer and TV. Find a quiet place and comfortably sit with your spine erect. Let go of everything you know about the world and yourself. Scan the body for tension and breathe it away.

Be the silent witness; observe what is going on in your mind. At first, focus on the breath or mantra (word or phrase) and allow this one-pointed focus to replace the stream of thought. Resist fighting or trying to force your thoughts away.

Simply observe them and watch them fly away — like a bird in the sky. Or, imagine them drifting away like floating leaves on a river. After a while, you can let go of the mantra or breath-focus and simply enjoy deep inner silence.

Sit for as long as you like. In conclusion, be thankful.

A Taste of Honey

I have come to understand that I am not the mind. I can choose the thoughts I think and I can make conscious decisions that shape my future and life. I have become the master of my mind and in turn, my life.

We are the creative force of our lives, and through our conscious decisions rather than our conditions, we can truly live the best life we can imagine for ourselves.

If you let the bee of your mind fly wherever it wants to, are you denying yourself the opportunity of intentionally creating the ridiculously happy life you desire?

The other day my innovations coach asked me, “Out of all your varied interests, which bring you the most joy?” I had to stop and think. In fact I pondered on this for several weeks. I wrote extensively in my journal and I meditated about it.

Helping others grow, teaching meditation, writing inspiring songs, and playing in a band bring me the most joy.

Getting clear about the things you love is the first step toward fulfillment. Spending time reflecting on what really makes you happy is the most important work you can do to get in touch with your Destiny DNA.

You already know your destiny – it resides in your cells. There is no need to seek; you just have to wake up to it.

I Know it by Heart

At first, when I learn a new song, I’m tied to the chart. But after repeated performances, I soon know it by heart. Knowing by heart is how to gain perfect mastery of your Destiny DNA.

Thinking is a marvelous tool, but overrated. Before long computers will do our thinking for us.

The mind is our servant but often, we allow the mind to be the master.

Thinking without awareness is compulsive thinking. It keeps us out of the present moment.

It’s All About Awareness

Why fight against life’s current when you can surf the waves of your Destiny DNA.

To my knowledge, science has not yet discovered a center in the brain that corresponds to awareness. In meditation you become aware of what mind is and what it is not.

Close your eyes and ask yourself the question, “What will I think of next”?

In this no-mind state – that is awareness.

Easy Answer Source: You

I love the Nike slogan, ‘Just Do It.’ I’ve been doing just that lately.

• Taxes - Just Do It.
• Exercise – Just Do It.
• Get up early – Just Do It.

Another fine idea: First Thought – Best Thought

Over thinking leads to analysis paralysis, I prefer to let my inner compass guide me.

Without non-essential mental construct, life glides by effortlessly. In timeless awareness I am better able to access the infinite reservoir of inspiration, imagination and intuition.

The World Needs You to Be Happy

What keeps you up until late at night and excites you first thing every morning?

How can you design your life so that you’re doing more of the things that excite rather than drain you?

Can you afford not to take the time to reflect upon and target your Destiny DNA?

I design my life so that I’m doing the things that excite me, rather than doing the things that drain me. I don’t let mind get in the way.

Being master of your mind and destiny is the greatest freedom to your best life.

I need you to be happy. The world needs you to be happy. Happy people doing what they love help fulfill God’s evolutionary intention for nature.

Soul is a word that’s showing up all over the place now.  Recently I even saw an advertisement for the soul of a car!  It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot, yet when I ask an audience to define soul, there is often a deafening silence.

Soul is essence.  Essence is like water—when you add water to a seed, it brings that seed to life.  In the ancient scholarly languages, the words for soul and spirit translate to mean breath.  Breath is our life-force.  Without it we can’t survive.  Our soul is our life-breath.  Without soul, there is no meaningful life.

Soul is the source of your intuition, wisdom, and creativity.  It has an intelligence, and it has a mission or a purpose.  Your soul mission is why you’re here, your reason for being, your calling.  It’s the passion and fuel that drives your life.  It’s not something that you make up or decide.  You are born with it, and it remains essentially the same throughout your life.  Your understanding of it may evolve, and how you express and live it may change, but the essence remains the same.  And because it is who you were born to be, it also represents your greatest potential.  Discovering your soul mission and letting it guide your life unleashes your potential and sets you on a course for achieving it.

John is an account executive in a large advertising agency in NY.  His soul mission is “I recharge human hearts.”  He is brilliant at his job, yet the driving force for who he is in that job and in his life is his soul mission.  He is incredibly well-respected and loved, not just because of his expertise and skill, but because of the “recharging” energy he brings to everyone with whom he works.  Outside of work, he is also a gourmet cook, and he loves “recharging” people with a fabulous meal.

Patti is a top executive with a major global marketing firm and is also deeply involved in efforts to eradicate world hunger, playing a significant role in the UN World Food Programme.  In addition, she is a wife and the mother of three supercharged teenage boys.  So on any given day, Patti might be leading a high-profile strategic planning session, jetting off to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, or being a soccer mom.  Patti’s soul mission is: “I connect.”  She claims that becoming aware of her soul mission and the fact that she has a larger purpose has called her to a much higher consciousness on many levels, influencing her decisions on everything from where she shops and what she buys (supporting fair trade and green brands) to who she votes for to how she greets strangers.  She says that knowing her soul mission has given her the confidence to carry on and not give up in the face of big challenges.  Her soul mission has provided her with clarity of who she really is.

Patti is a master at connecting people with one another for maximum results.  She recognizes that if she remains anchored in her soul mission, she will have the greatest impact in her company and in the world.  Both Patti and John claim that when they remain focused on living their soul missions, they find the energy they need for their fast-paced lives.  Patti says, “Since doing my soul mission work, I’ve learned that I have to go ‘in’ and get centered and focused before I can go ‘out’ into the world.  I have to balance it.  If I go in and never come out, I get stuck.  At the same time, if I go out before getting centered and purposeful, I waiver.  So I have to go in and tap into my soul mission first.  And then I’m ready for the world.”

One of the greatest things about discovering your soul mission is the realization that you can live it all the time.  It’s not dependent upon a particular job, relationship, or situation.  My soul mission is:  “I liberate and empower.”  I live that mission in obvious ways—writing, speaking, leading workshops and trainings, and coaching—but also in conversation with a friend or how I interact with people.  Earlier in my life I was a professional singer and voice teacher.  In teaching singers, I liberated their voices and empowered them through strong and dependable vocal technique to succeed in the extremely competitive worlds of opera and musical theater.  When you let go and follow your intuitive sense of who you really are and what you are meant to be doing, living soul mission comes naturally.

So how do you discover your soul mission?  You can start by breathing into your soul and remembering a time when you were incredibly happy, totally consumed by what you were doing, completely lost in the moment.  Perhaps it was when you were a child, or maybe it was last week.  Perhaps it was for an hour, maybe for a year.  Step back in your memory to that time and breathe it in.  Then drop below the activity itself to observe what was happening inside of you.  What were the sensations in your body?  What was the authentic part of you showing up?  Who were you getting to be?  What was being excited and fed within you?  Maybe you were being creative, or helping someone, teaching something, or fixing something.  Whatever it was, what was the essence of what was going on?  In recognizing that essence, you’re starting to touch your soul mission.

Another powerful question is:  If this were the last year of your life, who would it be important for you to be, what would it be important for you to do?  What do you want to be remembered for?

In workshops and coaching I use a number of visualizations to help the client tap into the soul intuitively—to look beneath the mask they wear to meet the world every day.  The entire process is one of intuitively discovering who you are at your essence—discovering the driving passion or fuel for your life.

As you discover your soul mission, it is important to condense it into a statement that is six words or less.  Too long a statement waters down the energy and impact.  You are looking for the fewest words with the greatest punch—a statement that calls you forth to your most expansive self and to your greatest potential, not just for the immediate future, but for your lifetime.

Living soul mission is not something that you do “instead of” something else—it’s something that you do “through” everything.  Living your soul mission doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change career paths, relationships, religious affiliation, or communities.  John and Patti both discovered their soul missions well into their careers and through living it, found new fulfillment and success in their work.  They also realized that in many ways they had been living their soul missions all along; the new awareness of it just heightened its effectiveness and impact in their lives.  Their careers became the vehicles for living their life purpose.  The more you focus on your soul mission as the primary consideration for everything you do, the more it informs your life, and the more every part of your life begins to be a reflection of your true essence.

Michelangelo said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but that we aim too low and we make it.”  We each play a dynamic role in the ongoing creation of our world and our future.  Engaging the soul and living your soul mission means aiming high—“going for the gold.”  Discover your soul mission and let it guide you, and you will have a great foundation upon which to build an extraordinary life.

Alan Seale, PCC, MSC is an inspirational speaker and a leadership and transformation coach. He is the author of Soul Mission * Life Vision, Intuitive Living, and The Manifestation Wheel.   http://www.alanseale.com

Originally published in “Choice: The Magazine of Professional Coaching.”

Throughout this process, I’ve discovered that enlightenment is about subtraction. Removing impressions, ego, desires, negative thinking, judgements, etc., in order to allow the True Self to shine through.

Meditation and Daily Positive Affirmations

Meditation and affirmations has helped me heal and forgive myself. This process has changed my life so completely, I wanted to share this understanding with others. By marrying my musical abilities along with the great power of affirmative statements called affirmations, I decided that I would create a new genre of music called affirmation music. I thought that if I could create singing affirmations, mantras with repetitive verses sung over world rhythms and improvisational passages, they would affect the mind subliminally, and help re-write deep unconscious negative patterns, thereby freeing the mind and allowing communion with one’s Higher Self.

My Affirmations for the Soul Affirmation Music Project

I choose to help people see themselves for whom they truly are.

I seek to help people tap into their eternal nature and become anchored and secure within their Higher Selves.

I help people remove negative mental memories and conditioning, so they may adopt a life of pure intention.

I help people lighten their load, simplify their lives, and find true meaning by tapping into their inherent potentiality

I teach others to meditate

Vision

The power of thought processes, the act of thinking, and the effects upon the human organism in connection with health and illness is well-documented. The belief is part of our folklore: clichés such as “healthy body, healthy mind” and “dying of a broken heart” express the mind-body connection.

I envision that the Soul Affirmation music CD will serve mental health, pastoral counseling, alternative healing arts communities, corporations, and the public at large, seeking to improve spiritual growth, morale, performance and productivity.

Journey

This album was a struggle. Three years, a lot of money and hard work went into creating these 10 simple songs. I spent countless hours recording, editing, writing, mixing and arranging. When money got tight, I could think of a million reasons why I shouldn’t continue on with the project. There were many moments when I wanted to throw in the towel.

On the other hand, I love all aspects of writing and creating music, especially affirmation music. With these affirmation lyrics, I went to great lengths to ensure that each word was exactly what I intended.

I hope you enjoy the music, the musicians, the production and more importantly, the message and intent behind the music.

Birth and death, creation and destruction - these are the cycles of life. These cycles reveal themselves in nature, fashion, economies, civilizations, and in the life and death of a star. These contradictions support and relate to each other, in that one cannot exist without the other.

Beyond the Rise and Fall of Cycles

We are all subject to growth and dissolution. Nothing can grow forever; eventually the crest of the wave surrenders to the soothing calm on shore. Dissolution allows growth to happen and re-energize, and a new crop gives way to our inevitable spiritual evolution.

Sometimes we ride the wave of success and other times we brace for the fall. It is not that one cycle is good or the other is bad, it just is. The sooner we come to accept this idea and surrender to it, the less we will suffer.

Spiritual Awakening

In our awakening world, our inhabitants are becoming spiritually conscious at an ever-quickening pace. This ascending cycle is an opportunity for us to refocus our priorities and learn to care for one another. It is essential for our spiritual liberation.

Every condition or situation in life will change or disappear. To hold on or resist this change will disappoint and bring suffering. Every time you judge or form an opinion about something, the mind identifies with it, and the harder it becomes to accept the loss of fortune, fame or position. You can still create, do and become, but your situation is not who you are. You must accept and stand your middle ground.

Like a butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis, our world is in the process of a metamorphosis. After a long winter, spring finally arrives, and with it comes abundance and new growth. A new cycle is a good time for cleaning and re-examining your priorities. Throw away what is non-essential and simplify. Allow your heart to open and be generous.

Pray More: Meditate

Peace of mind is easy when things are going well. Being grounded in a regular practice of meditation helps remind us of a deeper dimension unaffected by cycles and the play of opposites.

Be ruthlessly honest with yourself and determine if your ego is resisting the flow of life. Ask yourself if you are making decisions that do not serve you or your fellow man. Loosen your control, let go, and look deeply into yourself.

Be mindful of your daily thoughts and how they serve to create your future and that of the collective whole. Rewire old thinking habits and introduce daily positive affirmations into your mind field.

Access Your Essential Self

Stopping the thought process and mind-identification with outer circumstances allows for inspiration, imagination and creativity. Less ideation gives way to feeling. Your heart center opens and you gain access to your essential self.

Beyond conditions and contradictions, you will find an all-loving presence living inside you. Get re-connected with your Source everyday in meditation. From that understanding and clarity, you can move forward with new fervor and determination and begin living life with meaning and purpose.

“Self-observation brings man to the realization of the necessity of self-change. And in observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an instrument of self-change, a means of awakening.” ~ George Gurdjeff

Remembering the deeper states of awareness in your daily life and allowing it to infuse all you do makes life more joyful and effortless. Your life becomes a meditation. Being able to watch your thoughts as you think them enables you to actively see what does not serve you. In this observation, thoughts that don’t serve you, simply fall away.

Live Consciously

It isn’t easy being human. When we come to earth we suffer. The question is, to what degree? Increased awareness allows you to consciously choose which circumstances to get involved in, with the knowledge that it will involve some level of suffering. If you live your life unconsciously, you will unconsciously create more suffering for yourself.

The problem of suffering can’t be solved; it can only be surrendered to. When you live in a state of surrendered acceptance, you begin to flow with the current of life rather than swim against it. The effortlessness I speak of is this surrender. Letting go, without trying to make sense of it allows freedom to be, without trying.

Live In Your Truth

When you live completely in your truth and are doing your life’s work, without pushing or shoving, you awaken to the higher perspective of a holistic unity in all. We should give in to this awareness. This is not just a metaphysical concept but actually the way you see it. Seen in this deeper way, we realize the whole is acting through us and life lives us rather than we living life.

All life is impermanent, and all of this won’t matter. There is nothing to do. Being is enough.

“God = Man minus Ego” ~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

To function in the world we need ego. Ego is your sense of individuality or awareness of the self. In the psychological sense, the ego’s quality is self-organizing, mechanistic and neutral. This simple awareness of self is required, and serves a valuable purpose. The subtle ego is with us in sleep, and present even in higher states of consciousness.

With regards to the awakening human however, the word ego refers to the enemy within. This dangerous or gross ego is the main obstacle to spiritual liberation. Identification with the false self or illusional sense of ‘I’ limits and blocks our ability to realize the essential Godness that is our true Heart within.

The Limited Self

Because ego’s greatest fear is its own death, it is intensely vigilant for its survival. It arises from the fear that you don’t exist. It seeks to protect itself by creating an illusion of its existence and separateness from your higher Self.

Looking at the shadowy sides of ego can mean gazing at the darkest regions of the human soul.

The base ego is self-infatuated and narcissistic. It is arrogant, exaggerated and self-important. Its main attribute is fear and attachment. It judges and maintains strong opinions and beliefs. It sees itself as separate and superior, and it delights in its invulnerability.

When the ego is uncovered and seen for what it is, we come face to face with a monster that feeds on power, domination and control. It only cares about itself and is willing to destroy anything that is true and good in order to remain in control and survive. There is no room for compassion, generosity or love. It is profane.

It has no interest in freedom; it feels victimized by life. It goes against anything that contradicts its self-created image. The clever ego will fabricate anything for its survival, and thrives on keeping you convinced that you are separate.

Ego is attached to the past, terrified of change, and desires only to maintain the status quo. It lives only for itself. Its pattern is rigid, controlled, constrained and crystallized.

Ego is the social mask or self image that constantly seeks approval of others and does not want to be humiliated. Ego needs to be the best, or part of the crowd, because everyone is doing it, or not doing it, because it wishes to be separate.  Ego wants to be right and wants to have the last word. Ego is what other people think of you.

The prideful ego believes:

• I am what I do
• I am what I have
• I am what others think of me

The Illusion of Separation

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the `Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~Albert Einstein

All experience is by contrast. How would we know light if there was no darkness? If we never knew hate, how would we know love? This play of opposites is transient, and bound by time. The essential Self, is independent, outside the field of opposites, and is eternal.

Our ego desires separation, so that we can know self by experiencing the opposite. In reality, this separation of self from the other does not really exist, it is an illusion.

Ego desires to experience the joy of becoming whole again and reunite with higher Self. Our suffering is when we don’t see this illusion and allow ego’s illusion to dictate our existence.

Blocks to Realization

Without spiritual understanding, the notion of separateness begins early in life. We grow up experiencing the pain of criticism, low self-esteem and loneliness. Cumulative painful experiences of feeling apart or not fitting in tightens the ego’s grip on the psyche.

This false belief is reinforced by our culture. We begin to view life as a competitive exercise. Competition increases the feeling of separateness and we become more anxious about our place in the world. This fear blocks our ability to see our highest Self, and our sense of aloneness drives us to look for outward connection. So we seek to achieve more, shop, compete, and for ways of looking younger.

If you identify with this false idea of yourself, you involuntarily join many in the world who believe that violence is the best way of ensuring your separateness, and that the only course of action is to declare positions of superiority and hatred.

In order to remain in control, the ego will fight to preserve its hold on even the most ardent spiritual warrior. Seeing the truth of our real condition can remain obscured, masked by false-concepts and mental models that cloud the mind.

When craving and longing for truth are put to the test, the ego will whine and cry and try to usurp our efforts. The seeker must deeply desire liberation in a valiant effort to shatter the illusion.

Ego’s Need to be Special

The ego will not allow the notion that: “no one is special.” The idea that some are more worthy than others denies equality in nature. Your ego demands that you must be special. And our culture agrees with ego that there are special people and special circumstances.

Consequently, fear arises out of not being special, and attachment to your idea of being special keeps you from realizing the oneness of your perfect highest Self.

Attachment to the idea of being special or superior acts as a barrier to the inevitable recognition of your sacred Self. It blocks access to a deeper understanding of your true destiny and purpose. Freedom from the power of the ego allows us to create our destiny with a higher intelligence and clarity.

You are eternal, pure joy, and sacred, but you are not special.

Have I Offended You?

I used to be easily offended. I was at the mercy of my ego. I had constructed rules and regulations that if crossed, would deeply affect and hurt me. I took everything personally and everything bothered me.

I began to realize, it wasn’t the real me that was being offended, it was the idea of who I thought I was that was being offended.

When you finally accept yourself and learn to release the illusory idea of ego, you are no longer offended by your fellow humans. In fact, you see your fellow humans in yourself. You recognize the common divinity inherent in all beings, and compassion and understanding become your abiding treasures.

Spiritual Superiority

Even in the realm of spiritual aspiration we can be fooled into believing that we are better than others. We adopt the erroneous idea that those who are spiritual or religious are separate from those who are not chosen or saved.

Religious and cultural conditioning also promote the ideas of guilt and sin, further demanding that your ego keep you fearful and separate from your true higher nature.

The spiritual aspirant must check his spiritual ego when it comes to spiritual awakening, knowledge or realizations. In reality, there is no one that is spiritually superior or inferior. Your sacred Self is connected to the oneness of All That Is.

E - Edging
G - God
O - Out

Learning to Let Go: Managing the Ego

If we do not succeed in understanding and managing ego, it can rob us of the peacefulness and wholeness of life.

The seeker that is no longer bound by ego can fully let go and trust in a loving Universe. She will experience liberation of consciousness, surrender, and suffer less.

Living with the awareness that our conditioned tendencies are merely learned responses to life and that we no longer need to struggle or suffer is true spiritual liberation.

Like successive falling dominoes, all experiences ratchet into place, easily and effortlessly, and we delight in the joy of our essential nature.

Breathe In Peace, Exhale Ego

Here is a great technique that can bring you to a level of increased mindfulness and help you release identification with false, ego-based mind.

Simply be quiet and still, inhale through the nostrils while mentally reciting the word: Peace. Exhale through the mouth and mentally recite the word: Ego.

Doing this in times of stress or anxiety can bring peace into the body and clarity to the mind.

Top 11 Tools to Manage Ego and Bring Awareness into Being

1. Use affirmation music or create personal positive daily affirmations to break habitual ego patterns.
2. Learn to recognize the sacred Self. And be mindful of the inherent Divinity in others
3. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself and make changes. Observe your ego, and smile.
4. Live 100% in the moment. Notice what you are sensing in the body, thinking in the mind, and feeling with your emotions.
5. Eliminate compulsive and obsessive thoughts, memories, regrets and remorse. Learn to meditate.
6. Use meditation to regularly soak up and become infused with silence.
7. Volunteer. Giving time to help others is a quick way to get you out of your self.
8. Rather than think, “What’s in it for me?” ask, “How can I help?”
9. Be mindful. Be present. Watch yourself eat, how you relate to others, and the thoughts you allow into your sphere.
10. Don’t take things personally. You are not the personality. At your core, you cannot be hurt.
11. Let go of all beliefs. The things you have been taught about yourself are not true. Realize you are an individualized, unit of pure consciousness, divinity embodied and part of the ocean of existence. Suffering is how firmly you hold onto your beliefs. When things don’t go by the mental models you construct for yourself, you suffer.

Reprogramming the Ego

1. Observe your ego reacting to an offense.
2. Acknowledge the feeling.
3. Analyze what triggers the feeling.
4. Reprogram the feeling by introducing a new response like compassion or laughter.
5. Release the feeling and be thankful for the growth opportunity.
6. See the attacker as a part of the whole and realize they are merely individuals that are suffering.
7. Adopt compassion through understanding and acceptance.

Bring Awareness into Being

When we connect with Source through silent meditation, we bring awareness into being. In silence, we go beyond opposites and contradiction. This awareness infuses all our actions and brings appropriate solutions for our highest good.

When the mind identifies with ego, it cannot discern reality. Killing the ego is like trying to catch the wind. Rather than suppress ego, simply observe and be aware of ego, then you begin to cleanse it.

Seek to bring so much awareness into your being, through meditation and mindfulness, ego cannot find a place to live.

Banish the Burden of Ego: Choose Higher Self - It’s Who You Really Are

If you become infatuated with yourself, realize that. If you are afraid that your existence is threatened, realize that. If you become sick of yourself and you would love to rid yourself of this burden, you are on the road to Self-discovery.

In meditation, self curves back to look upon the Self. We begin to identify with the unchanging aspect of our soul. We begin to experience unification with life in a way that ego’s illusion couldn’t begin to comprehend. We watch the changing aspect of the world, and we enjoy it rather than resist it. We no longer feel the need to seek, because we experientially feel our connection with the Source of all creation.

Awakening to this Source, reveals all possibilities, inspiration, creativity, understanding, laughter, joy, and the power of love. Finding the courage to recognize, and end the division between the false self and higher Self is your greatest gift to humanity and to the evolution of consciousness.

“Let the shadow of the ego be blinded by the light of your awareness.”  ~ Ken LaDeroute

Photos by: Just.K, Hoja Viva, and Cannonsnapper