THE DEATH OF THE EGO
This is a principle, a concept that I believe is the deciding factor in how successful, how happy you truly are with yourself. You see, the ego is the accumulation of thoughts and emotions influenced by third-party subjective nature factors. This leads to the feeling of being a separate entity of oneself and it is only when you dis-identify ones consciousness from it that we can truly free ourselves from suffering. You know who you truly are, you know deep down inside, innately it is there and you know what you're capable of. Start to listen to yourself, listen to your inner voice and go be that person. That is STR[5]NGTH.
These last two years this entire concept of ego death has been something I've become obsessed about in regards to personal growth. It is something that brought realization to my life on how to move forward through the ups the downs and how to listen to yourself in the dark times as well in the great times. You see, in baseball I learned that you can't get to up and you can't get to down in a game of failure, the only thing you could do is find your baseline. What do I mean by that is no matter how high the emotions get, no matter how low the emotions get you have to stay on your baseline. When emotions are unregulated become contracted. Studies have proven that the body expresses stress through flexion and when your body is in flexion energy, clarity, and performance are restricted.
For a while now, I've always tried to understand why in some of the toughest times in my life that I am able to stay calm, cool and collected or take extreme risks without an ounce of doubt. How is it that I can have the visualization and the imagination to create a life that I want and actually accomplish it? I think it goes back to the fact that I don't have an ego. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I ensure the ego stays at the doorstep. I have always approached life with a white belt mentality in that which I always have room to learn, to grow and to accumulate more. I don't know everything, and sure as hell I haven't done everything but the lesson I have learned in my life is that I have unbelievably accurate instincts and 100% bet on them. I think a lot of people these days have too much of an ego or are influenced by too much noise to allow themselves listen to their instincts. Everybody knows innately what they want in this world and how they could get there but they just don't do it.
I believe it all derives from a place of fear. Fear of letting others down or being viewed by others in a way they don't think is right. I think the places, the people and the things in your life have to form themselves around you. You should not allow the externals subjective world determine how you feel, what you do and where you go in this life.
One lesson my grandmother taught me was that '“you cannot go through life worrying about what other people think about you.” It was one of those profound moments of your life where the world just stops for a moment. It is like the world ensure you listen attentively. I remember it like it was yesterday I was in high school on a Friday night playing cards with the family and of course true to the Irish family it was cards, cookies, coffee and cigarettes. It happened right in the middle of the game. She looked me dead in the eyes and said it. I never let go of that and I've always stayed true to it. I do not hold people's opinions and actions take over my life. I determine what I want and I determine what I'm doing with my life.
Each day I am looking to optimize and progress myself mentally, physically and spiritually. The more optimized I am the better Husband, the better Father, the better Son, the better Brother I can be. I have found strength in dropping my ego because it has allowed me to see who the person in the reflection truly is.
“The holy grail of life is the ability to accept yourself; the good, the bad and the middle.”
I'm going to leave you with this challenge. Sit in a room in silence with a notebook or an audio recorder and just brain dump. Whatever comes to mind just get it off your chest, get it out of your mind. Do this for 10 minutes. For the next 20 minutes, think about where you want to be 1 year from now, then 3 years from now and then 10 years from now. I want you to dream big and don't give yourself any limits. I just want you to become a kid again and imagine a magical world that you've built and that you are living in. Be the main character of your movie.
Steven Nickel provides a Tailor-Made Fitness Experience for the individual who wants to acquire high quality results. Providing Exclusive Personal Training, Made to Measure Coaching and Ready to Train Collections. To learn more Inquire Here or write to steven@stevennickel.com
