26th November 2019
What I seemed not to learn, was that while each promotion, stroked my ego, it also came with new responsibilities. The higher salary used for paying for all the things I did not have time to do for myself: An au-pair for the children, a housekeeper to maintain some semblance of a home life and a driver to squeak out a few moments of precious time as I had none (or so it seemed).
The biggest toll of living the lifestyle that Ego creates is the toll that you do not see. While others around you envy the lifestyle, the holidays the success and the recognition that you have earned (emotions flamed by their own ego), they will not see the guilt, stress, failing health and exhaustion that your ego hides from them and you. You will tell yourself that you will start to spend more time with the kids, be more present, think about your health and take a break after this project and then the next and then the next.
What you need to remind yourself in everything you do is that most “things” are an ego construct that you do not want to be a slave to. There is a reason why “Miles of pristine beaches, trails to explore, and spectacular sunsets over the ocean” yell out to you. Why blissed-out photos of yoga and tai chi, with the sun setting in the background are literally crying your name.
“Isn’t it time to do something for YOU?”
You hand over your credit card number in five minutes flat. A few days later you are out the door, bound for Lake Something-or-Other for a weekend of communing with nature, and trying to reconnect with the real you that ego has stolen.
The place you operate from is excellent at keeping you a slave to ego, there is a reason the most popular blogging topics are fashion, food, exotic holidays and bigger homes with more things in them. Online shopping is a global phenomenon, it is all designed by ego to take your money while rarely adding anything back to the happiness barometer. Stop accumulating unnecessary stuff.
Tell the truth to others but primarily to yourself. You have to fight the urge to preen, own and seek approval from others to get more praise or applause. Do not do things so that some anonymous person out there might think more of you, do them because the people that matter most to you will benefit. That doing them will make you WHOLE. Know that you are enough, that you are not a failure for staying true to yourself or for acknowledging that in this world of EGO dominance you may have lost sight of what truly matters, but you are ready to get off that merry-go-round.
Follow your own instincts, even if you walk alone for a while. If the “experts” are telling you to walk through the poison ivy, wave at them, stay on your own path, and catch up with them later. Not everyone is going to join you or appreciate your opinion on ego. And that’s okay. Hey, remember it is there ego that keeps them there, and that is an uncomfortable space.
Most importantly the absence of ego does not mean you will lack ambition or wealth, health or happiness. You will be all of these things but you will not seek approval from others for the choices you make and you will achieve abundance in your life born from your love of life not from an attempt to keep up with someone whose approval you think you need.
It is never too late to learn how to steward your finances, time and talents towards the things that matter most. Get a wealth coach and start living a more inspired life today.
