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Ep48 Let Go My Ego

Hello and Welcome to the Way of the Emotional Warrior Podcast. My name is Kai Ehnes and today we will be answering the question of: Are you doing things in your life because of Ego?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had a plan. You thought it through and it not only makes sense but is aligned for you in all areas of your life. You are fully ready to proceed. Maybe you even get started.

Let’s assume for a second that you have already worked your way through the “doubts” phase where you had to truly muster all of your power to fight your way through the self doubt and external criticism from others. As if that wasn’t difficult enough you get something coming out of nowhere. Maybe its an offer or simply an opportunity that seems and sounds absolutely incredible. Its as if someone studied your personality and tailor fit an invitation for you. Now you are tempted or might I even say hooked. The new situation reels you in like a fish on a hook. You simply can’t help yourself, it seems oh so right and now all your energies get hijacked and you are off to doing something very different than th plan and track you were on just recently.

So, you deep dive into the new adventure. Your ego or self feels so good. Maybe it’s a certain title that would make you feel like you are better than before. Maybe its more money or some sort of materialistic treasure. You can paint your own version of this.

The problem is that your ego got the best of the entire you. Now you get dragged in all kinds of directions and said and done, you are back to where you were before you found yourself and made your own great plan. In the brain, the feel good centers get activated and you feel so good that you almost become entranced.

The neuroscience on this is varied. Some claim there is a self that is not so much a thing but moreso a process. Others say that the entire idea of self is simply not real. For example:

Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at Harvard says, "Ego doesn't exist in the brain," What does exist, he explains, is a brain circuit that controls the intrusiveness of feelings of self-doubt and anxiety, which can modulate self-confidence.”

Antonio Damasio, an eminent neuroscientist, says in his book, Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain: “The answers are unequivocal. There is indeed a self, but it is a process, not a thing, and the process is present at all times when we are presumed to be conscious. We can consider the self process from two vantage points. One is the vantage point of an observer appreciating a dynamic object … The other vantage point is that of the self as knower”

Time to be an Emotional Warrior. Was your original plan heart based and created by you? Let’s go with yes. Was your plan about happiness, growth and fulfillment? Yes. Did you work through the process of taking the ego out of the question which is why your plan was true and authentic for you? Yes. Were you happy doing what you were doing? Yes. The list probably goes on and on.

So if there are all these yes answers, how did you get hijacked so easily by something that approached your ego?

The ego, may not exist as a thing but it is linked to our survival brain. Time to transcend and live like a warrior that knows how to be present and move their energy forward becoming a creator of their own future.

Until you get comfortable with the process, ask yourself a lot whether something is ego or authentically you. As time passes you will become stronger in your stance and become that heart based and resilient Emotional Warrior.

Good luck.