The ego, also known as the “false self,” wants you to believe that you are a separate entity from the rest of your reality. It must maintain control and power at all times in order to survive. And this attitude is why we see so much destruction and pain in this 3D paradigm. As a collective, we still allow our egos to dictate our lives, and as such, we see the same patterns repeating themselves over and over.
One of the hardest battles you will fight in life is the one against your own ego. That’s because it constantly needs attention and validation. The ego, ruled by the mind, tricks you into thinking your identity is built on your worldly labels. It hangs your worth on factors like your job title, how much money you make, what religion you follow, the color of your skin, your ethnicity, your political views, etc.
Everyone is born from the same consciousness, only knowing love and compassion for others. However, at an early age, most people are taught that their worth lies in other’s opinions of them. This leads people to seek attention, love, and acceptance outside of themselves. That shift in thinking means they are operating on the terms of the Ego.
So, how can you humble your ego so that you can start living through your higher, more conscious self? Truthfully, it takes consistent commitment and practice in order to truly master yourself, but these tips can get you started on the right foot:
1. Ask yourself who you are outside of your earthly labels.
When you first wake up in the morning or before you go to sleep at night, sit quietly in your room and just ask yourself “Who am I?” Allow your thoughts and feelings to come to the surface, and don’t judge them. Just observe what comes up, and notice if most of your thoughts center around your job, possessions, money, or other things you’ve accumulated. You see, your thoughts don’t represent you, because you don’t own your thoughts. We don’t even truly own our bodies; we simply borrow them in this lifetime.
As you delve deeper into your true identity, as you strip away every false layer of your old self, you will find that you are simply the universe expressing itself through form. You are a fragment of this grand consciousness, swirling through space with endless possibilities. We are all Light in pure form, and as you realize and accept this truth, all the outdated beliefs and thought processes that stem from fear will melt away.
2. Help others often.
The Ego gains even more power as one obsesses over him or herself and attaches those thoughts or beliefs to his or her identity. However, when you volunteer or just lend a helping hand to others, you forget about your Self for a while and instead shift your attention outward to your fellow humans in need. This paradigm shift going on is about releasing our obsession with “I” and instead focusing on “We.” Offering your hands and heart to others will help you dissolve your ego and feed your soul, an ever-lasting body of energy, instead.
3. Listen more, talk less.
Another habit of those who live through their egos is talking more than they listen. The ego always wants to be heard, and it won’t let others take center stage. The false self wants all the limelight and praise and finds it difficult to let others have attention for any length of time. One way to overcome this is to develop a new habit: listening more than you talk. Allow others to fully finish what they have to say before you respond or bring up a new topic; this way, you will learn to have a balanced relationship with others rather than one solely built on an out-of-control ego.
This will also help you relax and go with the flow rather than always having to control a situation and overtake the conversation.
4. Make meditation a habit.
Now, with all this talk of the ego, you might think you should fight the ego since it constantly wants control of you. However, resisting the ego will only cause more problems, because as you might know, what you resist persists. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the ego; after all, we must have some sense of self in order to ward off predators, establish relationships, develop self-worth, etc. It becomes an issue when you allow your ego to take control and dictate your whole life; when you believe that your ego IS you.
Meditation can help you see past your ego and get in touch with your higher self, the one that most accurately represents your soul. Breathe deeply and just let go – explore yourself beyond your thoughts and feelings, and you will get to know a whole world that exists inside yourself, where you can run and play freely without any attachments or limiting beliefs.
5. Resist the urge to always be right.
A trademark of the ego is that it always wants to have the last word. Furthermore, it can’t handle being wrong in any way. It must always fight back until others see through it’s eyes, but this can never happen. When the ego rules, it’s a classic scenario of the revolving door; it must repeat itself infinitely because it will always need validation. It cannot survive without this, and any opposition causes the ego to go on a rampage.
To overcome this, remember that others will always have different opinions than you. Realize that their opinions don’t invalidate yours; they simply see things from a different point of view, and they’re entitled to that. Once you allow others to express themselves and be themselves without feeling offended, you have made a marked step on the path to becoming humble and dissolving the ego.
