Ego In Spirituality: What It Is & How To Eradicate It For Spiritual Growth
Last Updated on October 11, 2022
Ego is not a good word when it comes to spirituality. After all, the whole point of being spiritual is to let go of your ego and become one with the universe – right? Well, yes and no.
It’s not so black-and-white. There are ways that your ego can be advantageous for you in your spiritual journey, as well as some situations where it might get in the way.
So what is this thing called “ego” that gets such a bad rap from self-help gurus everywhere? What does it have to do with spirituality? And how can you manage it properly so that it doesn’t hinder you on your path toward enlightenment?
Keep reading to learn more about ego in spirituality.
What Is The Meaning Of Ego?
The ego is one of the main challenges that we all face on our spiritual journey. It’s very common to feel like you’re not ready yet, that you need to do more preparation, or that you need to achieve something before trying something new. This feeling of being unready, unprepared, and unworthy is what we call ego in spirituality.
The ego is your sense of self, or who you think you are. It is the aggregate of all of the beliefs that you hold about who you are, including your personality, your value, and your capabilities.
This may seem like the simplest definition of ego, but it’s actually quite complex. Even though it’s not all bad and can help you in other parts of your life, not letting go of your ego can make it hard to move forward on a spiritual path. It will cause you to become stiff as well as arrogant.
What Is the Role of Ego in Spirituality?
The role of ego in spirituality is significant. It can either be the barrier that prevents you from moving forward or the motivation that drives you toward growth.
It all depends on how you deal with it.
Ego is the reason why some people are more comfortable with staying at the same level of spiritual growth. They don’t want to change, they don’t want to try something new, and they are happy with living in their comfort zone.
Others are driven by the ego to constantly grow, improve, and be at the top. No matter how good they are, they always have to be better.
Ego is a challenge that we all face on our spiritual journey. It’s very common to feel like you’re not ready yet, that you don’t need to do more preparation, or that you need to achieve something before trying something new.
This feeling of being unready, or sometimes overestimating yourself is what we call ego in spirituality.
5 Strategies to Release the Grip of Ego In Your Spiritual Journey
Be Aware of Your Thoughts
As you go throughout your day, notice what you are thinking. Are your thoughts positive or negative? Are they helpful or unhelpful? Are you thinking about what you need to do or what someone has done to you? How are you relating to others?
If you notice that a lot of your thoughts are negative, unhelpful, or ego-driven, you have an opportunity to change that.
Notice Your Reactions
If something happens to you, take a moment and really consider where the reaction is coming from. Is it a reaction that comes from a genuine place or one that is driven by ego? If it’s ego-driven, you can bring awareness to it and take steps to release it.
Eradicating the ego also involves being mindful of the words you say and the actions you take.
When you’re mindful of your thoughts and words, you can catch yourself when you’re about to slip into an ego state.
Let’s say you’re about to go and criticize someone for doing something wrong. If you’re mindful, you can stop yourself and remind yourself that it’s not your job to do so.
These are the moments when you can use your words to help you become a better person, instead of firing off a mean comment.
Being mindful of your actions also means you’re aware of how you interact with others.
Be Mindful of Where You Spend Your Time
The type of activities that you spend your time doing also has an impact on your level of awareness.
By being mindful of what you are doing at any given moment, you will be able to use those activities as an opportunity to bring more presence into your life.
Meditate to Become Aware of Your Ego
Meditation is one of the best ways to become more aware of your ego in action. If you’re not sure how to meditate, make it a point to find out how.
There are plenty of resources online that can help you. This is the perfect way to explore your consciousness and how you interact with the world around you. If you’re mindful enough of your thoughts, you can catch yourself when you slip into an ego state.
You can then work towards regaining your composure and moving towards a more positive outlook on life. You don’t have to spend a lot of time meditating, either.
Just a few minutes at the end of each day can make a huge difference in the weeks to come. It’s also a great way to start your day.
Quieting your mind and focusing on your breathing can help you get rid of any unwanted thoughts and start your day in a peaceful manner.
Learn the Art of Self-Acceptance
This is something that goes hand-in-hand with self-awareness. You have to accept the fact that you’re not perfect.
By doing so, you can move forward and try to be better each day. Self-acceptance is something that takes time to learn. It’s not a skill you can master in just a couple of days.
However, with practice, you can definitely get better at it. There are a few ways you can better learn the art of self-acceptance. One is to make a list of all your positive traits.
Be honest with yourself and add as many as you can think of. Another is to cut out some inspirational quotes and put them up around your home.
These are great reminders that you can use throughout the day whenever you need to remind yourself that you’re not perfect.
Bon Voyage
Having a healthy ego is important when we are on a spiritual journey. It keeps us present, confident, and in charge of our lives. However, when we allow our egos to run wild, they can become destructive and inhibit our ability to grow as human beings.
The key to keeping a balanced ego is mindfulness. When we are mindful, we are able to recognize when our egos have taken over and have the power to shut them down.
In order to keep our egos in check, we must practice self-awareness and make conscious choices every single day to put ourselves first.
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