The purpose of this missive is to encourage you to do the right thing.
When our ego gets attached to something or someone, we don’t just lose sight of our lived experience, the feedback we receive, the lessons we can learn, the opportunities we get, the allies we can make.
When our ego gets attached, we lose sight of ourselves.
The only thing we can see is that thing our ego is viciously attached to. We are sucked in deeper and stickier until all we can see is that thing we have identified with.
Our grief. Our grievance. Our disappointment. Our doubts and fears. Bitterness. Self-pity. Loss and sorrow. Loneliness. Anger. Failure. Pride. Guilt. Shame. Denial. Copes.
We also identify and attach our ego to things and actions in the material world.
Certain ways of doing things. Habits. Clothes. Trinkets. Devices. Where we live and the people we interact with. Random stuff we see on social media or read in an email. Situationships. Lousy jobs. Expired skills. Impulsive commitments. Mimetic desires and safe options.
Because we attach ego to our goals and our decisions too.
It’s hard to admit that you are wrong. It’s harder still to accept it sincerely and genuinely.
Even when you do, you might end up holding a grudge.
(It’s not a grudge you’re holding; it’s your ego.)
Perhaps hardest to accept is that sometimes in life you really need a complete reset. Time off to recover from trials and traumas. Space to muster up your energy – and try something completely different.
That last part is brutal.
Something completely different.