How To Let Go of Your Ego
Photo credit: Agnieszka Kowalczyk
There are a lot of opinions about the ego. Some say it’s your enemy. Others say it protects you. I believe that your ego’s job is to take you away from the present moment and fill your head with negative thoughts about yourself and the world. The ego is a human invention, so you need it to live in this world, but you can take power away from it. In this article, I’ll tell you how to let go of your ego.
But first, what is the ego? The ego is formed by all the stories that you’ve been telling yourself for all your life. The ego is located in the solar plexus chakra, and it starts to develop at 18 months of age. What you absorb from the world around you in the first years of your life gets rooted into your subconscious, and it becomes part of your identity. The ego thrives on separation, so it’s always there to judge you and others, and it always takes things personally.
Become aware
The first step to letting go of your ego is awareness. You need to become the observer of your thoughts and learn to differentiate what comes from your heart from what comes from your ego. When you have a thought, try not to engage with it right away. Take a minute to ask yourself where this thought comes from. In general, keep in mind that thoughts of love and compassion come from the heart, and judgment towards yourself and others comes from the ego.
Be compassionate
If you’re thinking about how rude a person was at the grocery store, this is judgment. It’s okay to be bothered by rude people, but once you realize that this thought comes from the ego, always think that we all have different lives and stories. Don’t take it personally! That person is probably having a terrible day. Bring compassion to the situation. You won’t always succeed, but the more you do this process, the more natural it will become.
Be thankful
Your ego often brings your attention to what you don’t have and maybe also reminds you that you don’t have that thing because you’re not good enough or you’re unworthy. Stop that thought, and become the observer once again! This is not the truth. It’s only a story that your ego made up to keep control over you. Bring the focus to what you already have in life, and take a moment to be grateful for it.
Don’t believe it!
On the path to becoming a mom, your ego will tell you about all the possible worst-case scenarios. The ego loves worst-case scenarios. Simply acknowledge these stories, but don’t believe they’re telling the truth. These are made-up stories that the ego uses to create anxiety. These stories are not the truth.
You don’t have to fight against your ego. If you do that, you’ll give it more power. The truth is that you’re more powerful than your ego. The more you bring awareness, compassion, and gratitude into your life, the more powerful you’ll get. And if you need support, check out my mom coaching programs.