Free Yourself from Ego and Self-Concern

How do you start practicing mindfulness? They say it takes years to find inner peace, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? 

Setting yourself free from your ego is the first step to finding peace. When you stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about how others would feel, you are not only freeing yourself, but you are also teaching yourself the value of caring for others. 

Everyone has their ego problem to deal with, but not everyone recognizes it as a problem. For some, it may just be something that they brush aside for a while until they forget altogether. It is only when it begins to pose a problem that people look into it and try to find solutions. 

If you want to deal with the problem now and overcome your ego, you have to know where to begin.

When Does Self-Concern Become A Problem?

While being concerned about your well-being is not necessarily a cause for concern; however, being too focused on yourself can do more harm than good. When it seems as if all your problems at the moment are brought by being self-centered, you have to do something about it. 

When does self-concern turn into a problem? Here are some instances that you might want to consider:

When you are mad at someone for being angry at you

When someone close to you is mad at you for something that you did, and you think they are the inconsiderate ones just for being upset, you may have a problem. 

But that’s the thing. You only feel that way because you are too consumed with how you feel. When you drop your concern for yourself, you will begin to see that your reaction to how they feel is not right. Rather, it is about bringing the concern back to yourself when it shouldn’t be. 

When you are worried that you won’t make it

All too often, you are afraid of trying something new because you are afraid of failing. For example, you push starting a new project to a later time because you are worried that it might not turn out like you want to. This is obviously a case of being too overly-concerned about yourself. 

When you don’t put the focus on yourself and put the focus on other people, you will see that the project you are about to take on will provide opportunities for growth for others as well as yourself. 

So instead of worrying about failing, look forward to the possible outcome. You’d be surprised at how it can turn out to be a learning experience. 

When you are procrastinating, you are focusing on what you want 

Procrastination is one of the many ways you emphasize the need to put the focus on yourself. Because you don’t want anything to make you uncomfortable, you push everything to a later time.

When you drop your self-concern and get started with the project, it is easy to see what good can come of it. Instead of focusing your concern on failing, look into the task and how it can teach you a new skill or two. 

If it also serves others, then it is worth doing.

There are many kinds of problems that could occur when you are too consumed with your needs, especially your feelings. Your fears of failing and how it could hurt your ego could be the cause of a lot of problems. 

When you drop your selfishness, you will see how you can actually benefit from the discomfort brought about by something new. In the end, you’ll be able to do work and accomplish something even more meaningful. 

How To Free Yourself From Your Ego

How do you deal with enemies when your enemy is yourself? 

Your ego thrives at the fact that it can separate you from the moment. Whether it is around friends and family who need your help or strangers who could clearly use every bit of help you can provide, there are ways you can separate yourself from your ego and be a better person for others. 

Always choose to love

Whenever you are afraid of letting go of who you are, remember that you are doing it for love. When you have to choose between giving up your ego or keeping it, always choose the one where you can show more love for others and yourself.

The fear of losing yourself in the service of others is only an illusion. When you are on the side of love, you are not losing yourself or anything for that matter. In fact, you are gaining more for yourself because you are making other people happy. 

It is quite amazing how you will come to realize that you are no longer trapped in that unexplainable fear of losing yourself to others. The feeling is liberating, and it is all because you showed love. 

Complaining won’t do anything

Complaining is just pure negativity. The source of all this negativity is self-disgust, hatred, and self-sabotage. Take it as a challenge. Try not to complain about anything for a week. Allow yourself to see the positive in everything. 

Whenever you catch yourself feeling negative, look at the other side, and find something worthy of gratitude. No matter how small it is, it opens up the door to positivity. 

If you need more motivation, try to start a complaining fund. This is where you will put all the money you pay yourself whenever you complain. Your ego will always want to improve the moment, but don’t let it take charge. Breathe. There is always something beautiful around you. 

Even if all else fails, be grateful

It can be hard to accept failure, especially when it is your ego that’s in charge. But everyone experiences failure every once in a while. When you do, you always have to choose to be grateful. 

Look at the bright side of things. After all, the focus should not be on the failure, but in the lesson, you learned from the experience. 

Working on improving yourself can be exhausting. Striving for perfection is always a challenge. So instead, focus on improving yourself. Allow yourself to fail at times. Every time you try again, you know you have already succeeded.