I am probably the queen of mood swings.
I can wake up in a great mood, stellar even, but then out of nowhere, I shut down.
Suddenly, I'm in either face down on my bed in tears or catching an attitude with anyone who deals with me. I hate being this way, but when I'm in the moment, I have trouble snapping out of it.
I have no motivation to choose an alternative. I sit there in my angst and let the mood overcome me. I'll drag out my mood swings to the point where I have a full-on breakdown and only then can I regroup. Why do I have to hit rock bottom before I decide to do anything? What if I just caught myself before the hurt settled in?
Well, much easier said than done.
The thing is though, any of these bad thoughts that come up are directly related to my ego. As soon as things get good, my ego feels threatened and wants to tear me down yet again.
I have no problem recognizing my ego in my day-to-day life now, however, I still struggle with dissociating from it. I foresee the ego thoughts coming and I don't even put up a fight.
That simple decision is what keeps me stuck most of the time. The same goes for most of the population.
You see, our ego is separate from us in every way possible. It may be in our heads, but it is in no way a true reflection of who we are.
Our ego likes to point out everything going wrong.
You got promoted at your job?
Bet you're excited for all the extra responsibility, right?
Oh, a guy likes you?
Wait until he sees who you truly are. You'll practically send him running.
Getting a degree?
Have fun with loan debt and cracking under the pressure.
Our ego shows up in every part of our lives. It will pick apart every single decision you make.
Think about the last time you were really excited about something.
What was it? How did you feel?
Did it seem like everything in your life was finally coming together?
I'm sure it did. That's how most of us feel when we figure out a part of our lives.
Unfortunately, once your excitement hits your ego, then all the rationalizing coming in.
You start doubting yourself.
Is getting a degree really worth it? What happens if I don't? But shit, what happens if I do? Am I destined to be broke for the next ten years?
That guy is probably just being nice to me. Who could actually like me? What do I have to offer someone else? I can barely take care of myself.
Wow, a job promotion. I'm thrilled, but am I really capable? Sure, the money is good, but do I really want to be in the same industry for another few years? I wanted to travel around the world in my twenties. Is that even tangible with this salary?
Yeah. All of that over only three problems. Humans go through thousands of problems a year. It's no wonder we're all so exhausted.
I know what some of you may be thinking.
How do I know the difference between an ego thought and being realistic? Is it wrong to want to be prepared for the worst?
No, of course not. However, there is a difference between being prepared for the worst and expecting the worst.
In your mind, you have two voices.
There is your ego voice and your intuition.
The ego will always speak to you in a state of fear, doubt, and overall negativity. There is essentially no bright side to any downfall in your life.
To your intuition, anything is possible and nothing is certain. It recognizes when you're taking a risk, but it will always approach the situation with love.
Let me give you an example. Let's say you want to forget everything you've ever known. You're packing your life up into a single suitcase and headed for a new city. You can approach this situation one of two ways.
Wow, I don't know if I should be doing this. I mean, how much money do I even have? I don't have a job. Shit, I need to find a job when I get there. What if the job market is bad? How much is the cost of living? Can I really do this? I don't know. This may be too much. I don't want to struggle, but God, I need to leave this town.
I may not know what to expect in a new city, but I'm excited for the experience. Sure, money may be tight for a bit, but the right job will come to me. I can find new ways to enjoy my time without spending money. I could even make it a challenge to see how much I can live within my means. Oh my god, imagine all the new scenery I'm going to see there. This is going to be one incredible journey regardless of what happens. If anything, I'll gain a valuable lesson.
Pretty easy to distinguish the ego, right?
You can always recognize your ego if the thoughts are nothing but frantic. There is no solution, only fear. I need you to stop listening to that part of you. The ego will never have your best interests at heart. It may think it is protecting you from the outside world when in reality, all it does is hold you back.
We all need to work on tapping in to our intuition more. It is the only place joy lives.
When making decisions or even just in your day-to-day life, look deeper at what part of your mind is controlling you.
Are you living out of fear or love?
From there, the work begins.
If you aren't already, start choosing love.
When making decisions, go with your gut. Accept any resistance that comes your way with ease.
In your daily life, stop being a downer for once. Forget being the person who keeps it 'real' and focuses on the negative side of everything. You aren't helping as much as you believe you are. Look at situations with a sense of faith that everything is happening how it is supposed to.
You have a choice every single day to choose the life you want to live.
Stop sitting in the passenger seat. Take control and live exactly how you desire.
Your intuition will never steer you wrong.
