Excerpts from Power of Intention - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Seven Steps for Overcoming Ego’s Hold on You
Here
are seven suggestions to help you transcend ingrained ideas of self-importance.
All of these are designed to help prevent you from falsely identifying with the
self-important ego.
1.
Stop being offended. The
behavior of others isn’t a reason to be immobilized. That which offends you
only weakens you. If you’re looking for occasions to be offended, you’ll
find them at every turn. This is your ego at work convincing you that the world
shouldn't be the way it is. But you can become an appreciator of life and match
up with the universal Spirit of Creation. You can’t reach the power of
intention by being offended. By all means, act to eradicate the horrors of the
world, which emanate from massive ego identification, but stay in peace. As A
Course in Miracles reminds us: Peace is of God, you who are part of God are not
at home except in his peace. Being is of God, you who are part of God are not at
home except in his peace. Being offended creates the same destructive energy
that offended you in the first place and leads to attack, counterattack, and
war.
2.
Let go of your need to win. Ego loves to divide us up into winners and losers. The
pursuit of winning is a surefire means to avoid conscious contact with
intention. Why? Because ultimately, winning is impossible all of the time.
Someone out there will be faster, luckier, younger, stronger, and smarter-and
back you’ll go to feeling worthless and insignificant.
You’re not your winnings or your victories.
You may enjoy competing, and have fun in a world where winning is everything,
but you don’t have to be there in your thoughts. There are no losers in a
world where we all share the same energy source. All you can say on a given day
is that you performed at a certain level in comparison to the levels of others
on that day. But today is another day, with other competitors and new
circumstances to consider. You’re still the infinite presence in a body
that’s another day (or decade) older. Let go of needing to win by not agreeing
that the opposite of winning is losing. That’s ego’s fear. If your body
isn’t performing in a winning fashion on this day, it simply doesn’t matter
when you aren’t identifying exclusively with your ego. Be the observer,
noticing and enjoying it all without needing to win a trophy. Be at peace, and
match up with the energy of intention. And ironically, although you’ll hardly
notice it, more of those victories will show up in your life as you pursue them
less.
3.
Let go of your need to be right. Ego is the source of a lot of
conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of making other
people wrong. When you’re hostile, you’ve disconnected from the power of
intention. The creative Spirit is kind, loving, and receptive; and free of
anger, resentment, or bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your
discussions and relationships is like saying to ego, I’m not a slave to you. I
want to embrace kindness, and I reject your need to be right. In fact, I’m
going to offer this person a chance to feel better by saying that she’s right,
and thank her for pointing me in the direction of truth.
When you let go of the need to be right,
you’re able to strengthen your connection to the power of intention. But keep
in mind that ego is a determined combatant. I’ve seen people end otherwise
beautiful relationships by sticking to their need to be right. I urge you to let
go of this ego-driven need to be right by stopping yourself in the middle of an
argument and asking yourself, Do I want to be right or be happy? When you choose
the happy, loving, spiritual mood, your connection to intention is strengthened.
These moments ultimately expand your new connection to the power of intention.
The universal Source will begin to collaborate with you in creating the life you
were intended to live.
4.
Let go of your need to be superior. True nobility isn’t about being
better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be. Stay
focused on your growth, with a constant awareness that no one on this planet is
any better than anyone else. We all emanate from the same creative life force.
We all have a mission to realize our intended essence; all that we need to
fulfill our destiny is available to us. None of this is possible when you see
yourself as superior to others. It’s an old saw, but nonetheless true: we are
all equal in the eyes of God. Let go of your need to feel superior by seeing the
unfolding of God in everyone. Don’t assess others on the basis of their
appearance, achievements, possessions, and other indices of ego. When you
project feelings of superiority that’s what you get back, leading to
resentments and ultimately hostile feelings. These feelings become the vehicle
that takes you farther away from intention. A Course in Miracles addresses this
need to be special and superior: Special ness always makes comparisons. It is
established by a lack seen in another, and maintained by searching for, and
keeping clear in sight, all lacks it can perceive.
5.
Let go of your need to have more. The mantra of ego is more. It’s
never satisfied. No matter how much you achieve or acquire, your ego will insist
that it isn’t enough. You’ll find yourself in a perpetual state of striving,
and eliminate the possibility of ever arriving. Yet in reality you’ve already
arrived, and how you choose to use this present moment of your life is your
choice. Ironically, when you stop needing more, more of what you desire seems to
arrive in your life. Since you’re detached from the need for it, you find it
easier to pass it along to others, because you realize how little you need in
order to be satisfied and at peace.
The universal Source is content with itself,
constantly expanding and creating new life, never trying to hold on to its
creations for its own selfish means. It creates and lets go. As you let go of
ego’s need to have more, you unify with that Source. You create, attract to
yourself, and let it go, never demanding that more come your way. As an
appreciator of all that shows up, you learn the powerful lesson St.Francis of
Assisi taught:”…it is in giving that we receive.” By allowing abundance to
flow to and through you, you match up with your Source and guarantee that this
energy will continue to flow.
6.
Let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your achievements.
This may be a difficult concept if you think you are your achievements. God
writes all the music, God sings all the songs, God builds all the buildings, God
is the source of all your achievements. I can hear your ego loudly protesting.
Nevertheless, stay tuned to this idea. All emanates from Source! You and that
Source are one! You’re not this body and its accomplishments. You are the
observer. Notice it all; and be grateful for the abilities you’ve accumulated.
But give all the credit to the power of intention, which brought you into
existence and which you’re a materialized part of. The less you need to take
credit for your achievements and the more connected you stay to the seven faces
of intention, the more you’re free to achieve, and the more will show up for
you. It’s when you attach yourself to those achievements and believe that you
alone are doing all of those things that you leave the peace and the gratitude
of your Source.
7.
Let go of your reputation. Your reputation is not located in you. It
resides in the minds of others. Therefore, you have no control over it at all.
If you speak to 30 people, you will have 30 reputations. Connecting to intention
means listening to your heart and conducting yourself based on what your inner
voice tells you is your purpose here. If you’re overly concerned with how
you’re going to be perceived by everyone, then you’ve disconnected yourself
from intention and allowed the opinions of others to guide you. This is your ego
at work. It’s an illusion that stands between you and the power of intention.
There’s nothing you can’t do, unless you disconnect from the power source
and become convinced that your purpose is to prove to others how masterful and
superior you are and spend your energy attempting to win a giant reputation
among other egos. Do what you do because your inner voice always connected to
and grateful to your Source-so directs you. Stay on purpose, detach from
outcome, and take responsibility for what does reside in you: your character.
Leave your reputation for others to debate; it has nothing to do with you. Or as
a book title says: What You Think of Me Is None of My Business!
Related link www.drwaynedyer.com
Read another
chapter from this book
Extract from There is a Spiritual Solution to
Every Problem by Dr. Wayne Dyer
