Does your ego get you into trouble?
Me too.
Here are a few ways my ego messes me up:
- Pushing people away when really I’m scared of not being enough.
- Not wanting to admit I’m wrong for fear of losing love/respect.
- Talking a big game instead of admitting my shortcomings.
- Judging others harshly to make myself feel and look better.
These are examples of letting your ego into the driver’s seat of your mind.
On the other hand, when you build awareness around your ego, it empowers you to invite her to be co-pilot without letting her take over the driver seat.
When ego co-pilots, she can give you a solid push to find your courage to do things you’re scared to try.
I invited ego to be my co-pilot this past weekend. She helped me find the courage to successfully paddle a Class IV + section of whitewater that I hadn’t paddled in a long time.
My fear almost had me walk away. When I checked in with myself my ego gave me the clear message that she/I wasn’t ready to give up my reputation as a Class IV+ boater. I still want to be known as a solid kayaker at that level.
As I stood there grappling with that a group of lesser skilled and experienced paddlers came through the biggest rapid. One hit the wall and spun out. Two others flipped at the bottom, one barely rolling up before getting washed into the next big rapid.
It was clear to me that I had better skill, and if they could paddle the run so could I.
Yes, that was ego talking. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but I knew I wanted to prove it to myself that I was up for the challenge.
So I did it. I had great lines and I was proud of myself.
The deal is, I was very aware that I was making a choice based in ego. I could stand there, observe my ego and have a conversation with her. I made a deal with her that if I had a good line in the first rapid I would continue on. If I had a crappy line I would walk off. I kept my word to my ego and I actually had the best line I’ve ever had on the first rapid.
The moral of this story: Get to know your ego so that you have enough awareness to invite her to be your co-pilot when you need her. Just don’t let her get in the driver’s seat!
Here are my thoughts on video:
There’s no better way to learn how to become aware of your ego than my Guided Fall Cleanse. Giving up your favorite attachments (foods) gets the ego all riled up! That creates a potent venue for cultivating awareness in a safe environment – practice hard moves in easy water for your mind and body. Click here to learn more.
