Without even being aware of it, our ego can become our greatest obstacle to personal development. You see, how we view the world around us depends a great deal on our ego.

The role of ego

Acting like a giant control panel, our ego can direct how we interpret everything that goes on in our daily experience. We know that our perception of any event will determine what we get from that experience. Was it positive or negative? Was it an opportunity or setback? The answers depend upon our perception.

Now here’s the clincher. Our ego exercises a very strong influence on our perception, and most of the time we have no awareness of this influence. It’s not because we are hiding from our ego, in fact it’s just the opposite.

It’s because we are way too close to see it!

You see, our ego is that part of the mind containing consciousness and memory. It is intimately involved in the process of controlling, planning, and conforming to reality. As far as we are concerned, our ego is the same as our individual self. It’s who we are as a person separate from our environment.

Because ego sees us as separate from everything else, it tries to shape our perception accordingly. This means that it acts as a filter for everything we are exposed to. Our version of reality is slanted by the ego’s agendas.

What this means to our personal development

It means that the state of our ego can greatly enhance our personal development, or it can create an insurmountable obstacle. It can open the door to a rewarding and fulfilling life, or it can slam the door of personal growth and confine us to a life of self imposed limits.

That’s a lot of influence, don’t you think? Especially for something that tends to operate behind a curtain of personal invisibility. I say personal invisibility because often times others can clearly see what mode our ego is in, even when we can’t.

My firsthand encounter with the big E

There was a time when I was in the clutches of my personally invisible ego. People around me could see that I was a control freak, and they often tried to bring it to my attention. What was my reaction? I honestly couldn’t see it. Worse than that, I really couldn’t comprehend why they would even hint at such a thing.

I remember that a good friend at the time would often tell me “you need to let go!” And my response was always “let go of what?” I honestly couldn’t understand why he would say that.

The scene is set

Sometimes, life’s lessons have a way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it. That’s exactly what happened to me. I think our daughter was about nine years old at the time, and I have her to thank for ripping back the veil and exposing me to myself.

One day I was determined to finally teach her a lesson about keeping her room clean (go ahead and laugh). So I sent her to her room and told her not to come out until it was all cleaned up. For some kids that would have seemed like a punishment, but our daughter loved being in her room. It wasn’t even a hardship, let alone a punishment. So, after several hours I decided to check on her progress.

A rude awakening

When I entered her room, there she was entertaining herself and having a good old time. Absolutely no effort had been made at cleaning up the mess. I was amazed and proceeded to set myself up to learn a very important lesson. I said: “Why do you do this to me?” Her reply was “what did I do to you?” My response was “you deliberately defied me.” She calmly asked, “How did I defy you?”

I could not believe that she didn’t get it when it seemed so obvious to me (the control freak). So I explained, “I sent you up here to clean your room and you deliberately defied me, why do you do that to me?” And then it happened.

She lowered to boom

Her next words launched me into a giant ah-ha moment that changed my life. She said: “I didn’t do anything to YOU; I just didn’t clean my room!”

Wham, it hit me right between the eyes. I was such a control freak that when she didn’t clean her room I took it as a personal offense. My ego was in “take it personal mode,” as if everything that she said or did was somehow directed at me personally. I felt like a buffoon. How could I not see this, even when others had tried to point it out to me?

Let it go!

I finally understood what my friend was talking about. It’s not just about letting go of the desire to micro manage those around us. It’s about letting go of the whole concept that makes us the central figure in our world. The ego wants to differentiate between “self” and everything else. This is a very limiting concept. On the other hand, it’s not about being completely selfless either.

We need to let go of the line of demarcation that wants us to see ourselves as exclusive from everything else. To grow is to expand. When we expand our identity to include everything else in the universe, we form a personal connection with all creation.

We become more, not less

Letting go of a limited, self focused, take it personal ego unlocks many of our personal restraints and allows us to become much, much more. All of a sudden we understand how we fit into web of life. We see ourselves as part of the whole instead of an isolated entity. We don’t sacrifice our individual consciousness, we allow it to grow and encompass everything around us.

This is when personal development expands into a whole new dimension. This is the vantage point from which everything looks different. As if we have climbed up out of the haze and caught our first glimpse of the big picture. When we embrace our surroundings we free ourselves from much of the struggle.

And the learning continues

In the years that followed, I have often looked back on that day when my nine year old daughter helped me to see myself in a clearer light. Like many valuable lessons, there was some initial discomfort involved. But in the bigger picture, how insignificant that momentary discomfort was compared to the positive changes that resulted.

Have you had some memorable ah-ha moments?
Have you ever learned a valuable lesson from a child?
The lines are open!

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When we want to accomplish something important, we need to find an effective way to get motivated. Very often motivation is the defining difference between success and wishful thinking.

Granted, nobody likes to be under too much pressure. But a manageable level of pressure can provide the motivation we need to accomplish incredible things.

Used correctly a timetable will provide that extra motivational horsepower that leads to success.

Never, never, never, never give up. ~Winston Churchill

The energy multiplier

Having a precise time to begin taking focused action is one of the most important elements of a well thought out goal strategy.  It’s what I like to call a multiplier because it allows you to harness a huge amount of energy and to multiply the effectiveness of all your efforts.

Once you have a clearly defined goal, a well thought out plan of action and a precise time and date to launch into action, amazing things begin to happen.  Your world begins to rearrange itself in a very focused way. As a result, energy in the form of motivation begins to be generated at ever-increasing levels as that starting date approaches.

Something to keep you focused

You don’t have to be great to get started, but
you have to get started to be great. ~Les Brown

Having a precise time to start will help you get focused in the right direction. Equally as powerful is establishing a set length of time to accomplish your goals. Having a point of completion is like having a finish line in front of you.  It provides massive motivation because it gives you something specific to aim for.  The closer you get to the finish line the greater your focus and determination become.  Focus and determination generate energy and create continued motivation.

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither
does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. ~Zig Ziglar

The finish line represents success.  It is the point of transition from reaching for your goal, to actually reaching your goal.  Completion is where effort becomes accomplished.  It’s the point where you accept success into your life and acknowledge a job well done.  Reaching the finish line is a legitimate reason to celebrate and to feel really good about yourself. It’s also a perfect opportunity to give yourself some approval.

Create a personal countdown challenge

You can use a timeline to create a personal countdown challenge. This strategy will help motivate you to accomplish a specific goal within a given time frame. As the time remaining to complete your goal grows shorter, your focus and determination will increase.

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached,
don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. ~Confucius

Start by setting a goal that you want to accomplish within a certain time frame. Write your goal down along with the date for completion. Next, make your intention known to the world. Making it public creates accountability, which is also a powerful motivator. I use this strategy regularly to generate motivation and it really works well, so go ahead, challenge yourself and see how amazing you really are!

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. ~Walt Disney

How do you get motivated to accomplish your important goals?
How do you stay motivated during the process?
The lines are open!

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We all like to think that we have an objective view of the world around us and that our perception is largely undistorted by emotion or personal bias. Oh sure, we recognize that most people’s view of reality is heavily influenced by their personal subjective interpretations, but for some reason we tend to feel confident in our own objectivity.

Why in the world would we think such a thing? Because, even though every one of us is viewing life through our own unique set of emotional filters, we all seem to have one special filter in common. It’s the one that filters out our personal subjectivity and leaves us with the illusion that we are the sole keeper of true objectivity.

Seeing the world through our paradigms

The American Heritage Dictionary defines paradigm as: A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality. So, paradigms are the building blocks of our perception and they change the way we see everything.

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People author Stephen Covey adds the following synonyms for paradigm; model, theory, perception, assumption and frame of reference.  He points out that paradigms affect the way we see the world in terms of perceiving, understanding and interpreting. What does that mean? Simply put, it means that…

There is no true objectivity

Because we are all influenced by our own unique paradigms, every bit of input we receive is subject to personal interpretation.  Thinking that our point of view is objective does not make it so because true objectivity is next to impossible. So, without any conscious awareness of the process, everything we see, hear and experience is automatically altered according to our individual frame of reference.

Essentially, it boils down to our personal version of the truth.  Try as we will to be objective, our personal understanding of the world around us is at best subjective objectivity. (How’s that for an oxymoron?)

We are all individuals with different life experiences, different associations and different perceptions, and these all influence our personal viewpoint.  That is why two people can see or hear the exact same thing and be left with entirely different impressions of what they saw or heard

Creating your very own reality

Instead of trying to prove ourselves objective, what if we embraced the idea that we can, and do, alter our concept of reality to fit our personal paradigms. In other words, to a large degree we all have the ability to customize reality. Why not cultivate this ability so we can exercise even greater control over our perception. Think of the possibilities!

We can choose to focus on the positive side of life which will decrease our exposure to the negative. We can choose to see the good in others instead of putting a magnifying glass on their faults. We can give up on the idea that we are right and someone else is wrong just because they have a different set of filters. In short, we can basically create a better reality for ourselves.

Expanding our paradigm perspectives beyond self

Our quality of life has a lot to do with how well we get along and interact with other people. Developing our relationship skills requires that we make an effort to understand why other people see things differently than we do.

Appreciating their paradigms, even though they might be different from our own, is a giant step toward understanding who they are as a person and why they view life as they do.  Taken one step further, this approach can also help us to expand our perception and appreciation of the world around us.

What’s your paradigm with reference to this post?
Does the idea that you’re not capable of objectivity bother you?
The lines are open!

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My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. Do you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, and realize your most desired goals? TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.

What if I told you that there is one fundamental law with the power to completely change your reality. Would you be interested? How would you respond if I told you that this fundamental law is easy to understand and implement, regardless of your current circumstances.

If you could radically simplify the whole concept of creating a better reality by making one simple change in the way you run your life, would you be willing to give it a try? Before you say yes, I’d like to tell you a little story.

Don’t expect something for nothing

There was once a poor exchange student who rented a room above a fancy restaurant. Every night as he ate a plain bowl of rice for dinner, he would sit at the top of the stairs and enjoy the wonderful smells coming up from the restaurant below. As he ate, he would savor the aroma and imagine that he was dinning on the delicious delicacies being served down in the restaurant.

When the restaurant owner found out what the exchange student was doing, he took him to court. He wanted the student to pay him for the enjoyment he had derived from the food smells coming from his place of business.

The judge listened intently and then asked the student if he had any change in his pocket. When the young man said yes, the judge asked him to shake his pocket so he could hear the coins rattle. Then the wise judge told the restaurant owner: “The sound of money is sufficient payment for the smell of food.”

What’s the point?

Millions of people have bought into the idea that they can sit around visualizing a better life and that somehow it will manifest. When it doesn’t happen they go searching for the missing secret or a new technique that will make it happen. I am not saying that visualizing isn’t powerful because it is, but visualizing alone is not going to change your life.

You would never expect the smell of food to satisfy your hunger or the sound of money to pay your bills. Visualizing is a great way to get very clear about where you need to focus your attention, but more is needed to produce a meaningful outcome.

The law of consequences is about reality

Like all fundamentals, the law of consequences is based on truth. That means that putting it into practice requires a realistic approach and a willingness to accept personal responsibility for your life. It also means letting go of the fantasy based idea that somehow your world is going to be magically transformed without any effort on your part.

I realize that pie in the sky, fairytale promises of a better life without any effort are popular, but I prefer to deal in reality. How about you? Are you ready to fully embrace a realistic approach to creating a better reality on every level?

What is cause and effect, and the law of consequences?

Simply put, we are talking about cause and effect. The law of consequences states that every result or outcome (effect) happens for a reason (cause). Everything we do produces some kind of outcome and by carefully considering the possible consequences of any action, word, thought, or decision in advance, we can be much more successful at producing the outcome we desire.

Wisdom consists of the anticipation
of consequences.  ~Norman Cousins

Recognition of the law of consequences is fundamental to understanding how we influence our own reality. It can be incredibly empowering to know that everything we do (cause) leads to an outcome (effect), but to benefit from that knowledge we must be willing to accept full responsibility for our behavior.

Let logic be your guide

For some reason there are those who want to complicate things when you start talking about cause and effect, but I’m not one of them. At its most basic level we are simply talking about action and reaction. If we have the foresight to consider how our words and actions will play out, we can make better choices that will have a positive influence on the quality of our life.

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe
in cause and effect. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s a little exercise that can vastly improve your reality on every level. Before you make a decision, think it through to its logical conclusion. Ask yourself: If I do this is it likely to produce desirable consequences, or is it something I will regret down the road? If you get in the habit of walking your decisions through this simple process before you commit to them, it will change your life.

Is the concept of consequences something you embrace?
Have you ever paid a price for not thinking things through beforehand?
The lines are open!

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My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. Do you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, and realize your most desired goals? TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.

Before you went to sleep last night, you probably had a pretty good idea of what you were planning to do when you woke up. Did you do a little mental review of the next day’s activities?

Because most of us have some kind of schedule that we try to keep it is perfectly natural to give those activities some thought ahead of time. But let me ask you this: did you also give some thought to how you’re going to feel when you woke up this morning?

It is one thing to consider what we are going to do, but it’s quite another to consider how we are going to feel.

Emotional planning

The reason you knew what you were going to do when you woke up this morning is that you gave it some thought. You considered how your day was going to go beforehand. Why not do the same thing with regard to your emotional state?

When you take the time to visualize yourself waking up in the morning feeling great after a wonderful night’s sleep, fully energized and ready to go, you are actually planning for tomorrow. Now, instead of planning your activities, you are planning your emotions!

How can we do that?

First, take a few moments to visualize a pleasant morning experience. Then indulge yourself in those good feelings, actually allowing yourself to get all wrapped up in how wonderful it is to wake up feeling really good.

When you go to bed with positive thoughts about the next day, guess what? Chances are you will actually wake up feeling good because you have already experienced it in your mind. You’ve already been there once and your mind doesn’t know the difference between the actual experience and the imagined experience.

When you wake up tomorrow your mind is going to recall what you already programmed into it.  As far as your mind is concerned, you’ve already had this experience once and it felt great. It is exactly what your mind expects to happen.

Planning your emotional experiences

Why not give some preliminary consideration to how you are going to feel, not just tomorrow morning but every morning?  In fact, why not take it a step further?

If you are going to work tomorrow, why not stop and imagine yourself going to work and feeling absolutely wonderful about it? See yourself in an unexplainably good mood all day long.  Consider any activity that’s going to affect your day and feel yourself enjoying it! When you actually have that experience, you will be preprogrammed to enjoy it.

Use your emotional leverage to create an enjoyable reality

The fact that your mind records your “visualized experiences” as real gives you a wonderful opportunity to master some very useful advanced life skills. All you need to do is practice these skills to benefit from them.

Thousands of scientific studies over the last 40 years have proven that athletes can radically improve their performance using this technique. Why not use this same approach to improve your perception of tomorrow?

Take control of your attitude

We have much more control over our feelings and moods than most people give themselves credit for.  I invite you to start exercising that control immediately. I encourage you to start planning ahead by making an emotional schedule for a great day - no matter what activities you will be involved in.

You already know to some degree what you’ll be doing. Why not choose to also know ahead of time how you’re going to feel about it?

Emotional planning means giving some forethought to how you are going to feel about upcoming activities and events.

How do you expect to feel tomorrow?
Do you feel that you can realistically plan your emotional attitude”
The lines are open!

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Do you realize that you have at your disposal the power to change the state of those around you in an instant? I am not just talking about people that you know, but also people you have only seen once and that you have never even talked to. Yes, you can change the state of a complete stranger in a moment, from a distance. That’s a lot of power, don’t you think?

Before we explore this remarkable source of influence, let’s consider a few basic facts about human communication.

Some possibilities

Most of us tend to focus on our verbal communication skills, and that’s reasonable. After all, being able to express yourself accurately, and convey your thoughts in an understandable way, is a very valuable skill. We have all been touched to the heart by well-crafted words, and we highly value that ability.

It makes no difference whether they come from a great public speaker; a captivating author or a dear friend; words have the ability to touch our lives. But we are not talking about words today. The reason is, because in order for words to be able to touch somebody’s life, they either need to hear them or read them. Remember though, I said we could do this from a distance without talking to the other person.

Can you think of a way to do that without words?

How about body language? Our body language definitely affects the way others view us, in fact, it also affects the way we view ourselves. Yes, body language conveys an important subconscious message to everyone who sees us. So body language is definitely a powerful means of communication, but it doesn’t necessarily change the state of others. What it does do is influence their perception of us as a person.

As important as our words and body language are, they still don’t have the power to change the mental state of someone who sees us from a distance.

What’s left?

How about our external trappings? You know, our clothes, the car we drive, the cost of our wristwatch or jewelry, and things like that. Those things certainly get other people’s attention, don’t they? In reality though, aren’t they just an extension of our body language? They may convey a message about our financial status, or level of credit
card debt, but that’s about the extent of it. Besides, we are not talking about changing people’s perception of us, are we? No, we’re talking about finding a way to change their mental state.

Any more ideas?

Imagine that you are walking down the street and you make eye contact with someone who looks sad or depressed. What would it take to add a shot of joy to their life instantly? What could you do in a moment, without a word, that would help them feel better right now?

What if the tables were turned? Imagine that you are the one walking down the street feeling blue, and someone else makes eye contact with you from 20 feet away. What could that person do to help you feel better in an instant?

Did you figure it out yet?

The answer is really very simple and yet frequently overlooked. Here’s how you can use your influence to instantly change their state. Look them straight in the eyes and give them a warm, sincere smile. That’s it, smiling at other people has the power to change their focus and lift their spirits in an instant of time. It forms an immediate connection between you and them, and sends a powerful message of good will. It’s a friendly little gesture that can reach clear across a room and touch the heart of a complete stranger. That’s pretty powerful!

Think about it!

How do you react when you are just going about your day, and someone you don’t even know smiles at you for no apparent reason? You probably smile back, right? It’s a natural reaction. How does exchanging smiles with someone make you feel? You do feel better, don’t you? Smiling is a simple way to make everybody feel better immediately. That’s a pretty wonderful ability to have at your disposal, don’t you think?

Feel better while helping others to feel better too?

So what are you going to do about it? Why not use this power liberally to improve your life and the lives of those around you? Go ahead, exercise this great power every chance you get and see if it doesn’t transform the quality of your life. People will be attracted to you like a magnet, and they probably won’t even know why. But you will know why, and you will feel good about it. In fact, it will probably make you smile!

Do you think that there is power in your smile?
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?
Are you smiling now?

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Every speck of scientific research on the subject of human potential says that we all have much more potential power and ability than we are currently using. On some level I think we all probably realize, or at least suspect, that we have massive potential. The problem is, realizing that you have this powerful potential and actually tapping into it are two completely different things.

In fact, very few things are more frustrating than knowing you’ve got the resources to make a dramatic difference in your life, but not being able to access them. It’s like finding your dream home, having more than enough money in the bank to buy it, but the bank refuses to let you access your account.

Why is it so difficult to realize our full potential?

Have you ever wondered about that? If we have all this amazing potential, why can’t we just open up those resources and use them whenever we want to? It’s interesting that the entire scientific community is struggling with the same question. They readily acknowledge the almost limitless power of the human mind, but they can’t figure out how to tap into it.

I brought that up to make a point. When it comes to developing our potential, over thinking can actually hinder our progress and conventional thinking won’t get us where we want to go. I believe that there are two distinctly different kinds of wisdom that we all have at our disposal, and that relying too heavily on one will drown out the other.

Two very different kinds of wisdom

In the manmade world of science, mathematics, and all the other academic pursuits, we have been conditioned to rely heavily on analytical wisdom. We think everything out and analyze it thoroughly in an effort to “find the answers” to our questions. Obviously, being able to think is a very useful ability and frankly, I wish more people would make better use of it. But thinking is not always the most productive way to find answers. In fact, sometimes it just gets in the way.

When we look at the natural world we quickly realize that analytical wisdom is nonexistent. There is only genetic wisdom, what we like to call instinct. This is the core wisdom that I believe resides within our genetic blueprint. Now here is something that I find extremely interesting. In the absence of analytical wisdom there are no imbalances. This brings me back to the point I made earlier, that over thinking can actually interfere with your ability to unlock your potential.

Acknowledging human genetic wisdom

Some of the richest and most meaningful experiences in life have absolutely nothing to do with analytical thinking. The bond of love between a man and a woman, the act of conception, giving birth, and a mother nursing her new born baby are all good examples.

The same is true when it comes to avoiding danger or protecting our loved ones. If you see a truck barreling toward you at 50 miles per hour, do you need to analyze the situation or do you just get out of the way? If your baby is running toward the deep end of a swimming pool, are you going to think about it or are you going to grab them before they fall in?

Life is sustained by breathing, but we don’t give it much thought unless something interferes with the process. When we are hungry we eat and when we are tired we sleep (unless too much thinking keeps us awake). The wisdom to do all of these amazing things does not come from our analytical mind and over thinking any of them will only get in the way.

Unlocking a greater share of your amazing potential

Obviously, when it comes to accessing more of our potential, overanalyzing the situation is not going to help. Instead, learning to quiet our minds will encourage our innate genetic wisdom to become more pronounced. This will allow greater balance between our two types of wisdom and greatly increase our resourcefulness. Here are some practical ways to help you do that.

1) Listen to soothing instrumental music with your eyes closed and
. . try to feel the music inside your body as it moves and changes.

2) Sit on the beach or by a river and listen to the sound of the water.
. . Try to listen with your whole being so that you can feel the rhythm
. . created by the moving water.

3) Go outside at night, lie on your back and look up at the night sky.
. . Relax and let go of your thoughts as your eyes adjust and the stars
. . become really visible.

The natural world runs on the exact wisdom you are trying to connect with. The more you immerse yourself in nature, the easier it will be to develop your genetic wisdom.

Moving toward balance

If you want to unlock your potential to a greater degree, don’t allow your analytical mind to take over your life.  Reaching your true potential requires a different kind of wisdom. It means developing a completely different concept about what is possible and a whole new attitude about life in general. It also requires a different set of life skills in order to produce a higher quality of results. That is exactly what I explore with you in my book TRUE SELF.

Modern life is full of artificial mental stimulus and sensory input. This creates an environment that over stimulates our analytical mind while drowning out our innate genetic wisdom. It takes conscious effort to restore a more balanced relationship between the two, but the benefits are far greater than the effort required.

Have you been over thinking your life?
Are you losing touch with your genetic wisdom?
The lines are open!

If you enjoyed this article, consider email or RSS updates!

My book TRUE SELF is the fastest inexpensive way (coaching is the fastest) to make positive life changes very quickly. Do you want to discover your core passions, dismantle your hidden, limiting beliefs, and realize your most desired goals? TRUE SELF will guide you smoothly through the process.

If you had the power to fix any problem in the world, what would you choose to fix and why? Recently I asked this very question on facebook and twitter. We all recognize that there are plenty of things going on in this world that cause unnecessary pain and suffering. I asked this question because I was curious to know which issues were of greatest concern to those I interact with.

As you can imagine, there were a lot of caring people with something of value to contribute. Here is a sampling of the many responses I got: corruption, jealousy, gender inequality, hunger, heartache, suicide bombing, and war.

Would you change those things if you could?

Of course you would, we all would, because such things offend our deepest sense of right and wrong. The truth is, the vast majority of our fellow human beings are also troubled by these kinds of injustices and wish they could find a way to do something about them.

That’s why there are so many well supported charities and positive action groups. Wherever you see unnecessary pain and suffering you will also find at least one group of people who care enough to try to right the wrong. It’s a beautiful testimony to the caring nature of people in general.

But what really needs to change?

Is there some root cause or common denominator that fuels the majority of these problems and injustices? And if so, is there anything you can do about it? Well, I believe the answer to both questions is yes. First, let’s consider the root cause.

If you look closely at most of the problems that create pain and suffering on the world scene, I think that you will discover that greed plays a prominent role. Greed is defined as an intense or extreme selfish desire for wealth, power, or material possessions. When someone cultivates this desire to an extreme, they tend to abandon their concern for the welfare of others.

Chasing the illusion

It should be noted that greed is fueled by a misguided attempt to fill certain basic human needs. Interestingly, none of those needs can ever be filled with a greedy, selfish approach. No matter how much wealth, power, or material possessions might be acquired through greedy pursuits, they will never be able to fill the void.

What are those basic human needs that can’t be satisfied by wealth, power, or material possessions? They are core needs like happiness, contentment, fulfillment, gratification, and satisfaction. The ridiculous illusion that any of these core essentials can be filled by selfish or greedy pursuits has plagued mankind throughout history. It simply does not work that way, it never has and it never will.

Becoming part of the solution

If greed is at the heart of the problem, then what is the solution and what can we do about it? For starters, we need to dispel the illusion that external sources have the ability to satisfy our most basic human needs. Things like happiness, contentment, fulfillment, gratification, and satisfaction are an inside job. They are not something we pursue, they are something we embrace and cultivate.

A guided journey of self discovery can put us in touch with our true nature and core values. If we align our lives according to those values, our passions and response patterns will fortify those values and we will behave in a way that feels harmonious with our true nature. This is how we nurture feelings of happiness and contentment. This is also the key to how you can become part of the solution rather than a contributor to the problem.

Exerting a positive influence

Each of us can choose to live, and use our resources, in a way that counteracts the influence of greed and selfishness. How can we do that? One way is by manifesting qualities like compassion, charity, and generosity. This will have a direct influence on everyone we interact with and will encourage them to embrace a higher standard. But we can and should do more!

We can choose to use our resources to support the growth of companies and businesses that take a responsible approach toward this planet and the people on it. In the world of business, money talks and the collective voice of the masses is what decides who succeeds and who doesn’t. Responsible spending and consumer awareness has the power to change the playing field.

You can change the world

Never underestimate the ability of a small group of dedicated people to
change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Individually and collectively we have the ability to facilitate positive change. Before we can make that happen though, we need to raise the bar on what we expect from ourselves. Once we step up and take responsibility for our own actions and attitudes, we need to interact with the world in a way that supports those brave individuals and companies who also conduct themselves in a responsible way.

You have the power to change the world. The question is, will you?

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