4 Reasons to Eat Humble Pie and Starve the Ego

Art by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”   ~Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)

Easier said than done, right?

We all experience our own egos in mild to moderate doses every now and again (and for some, it’s a constant fighting battle that they’re not even aware of).

When will we actually get it through our heads that it’s okay to be who we are?

The Playing Field For Happiness and Sanity

I can only put this through via a personal encounter I had last week with my ego. It was a sneaky meeting, I didn’t even realize at the time that my ego had me by the short and curly’s.

I was having trouble with a computer-related work issue. Instead of asking for help, I tried to solve the problem when I was clearly not in the headspace or in the ‘know’ of how to fix the issue.

I squirmed and shifted in my seat whilst I allowed my temper to rise. I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel — the tunnel was sealed off and a huge concrete barrier had been erected to block my passage.  The clock was ticking and I was working with a looming deadline.

I began to tear my hair out (literally, at this point, not merely figuratively) and started banging my fists down on the table (real mature) — I was feeling the anger and rage mounting and I was directing all that energy at myself.

Now here is where my ego stepped in.

I felt like I was useless, incompetent and stupid. If I had to ask for help (which at this point was inevitable) I was admitting defeat and that I wasn’t coping (ego not liking the latter).

I fancy myself as a strong, independent, problem-solving kind of woman and this was just not on!

Tail Between the Legs

I bit the bullet and asked for help which I received and within an hour things were back on track.

My ego was seriously wounded though. I had proven myself to be unlearned in this specific field (which is not really my forte but, heck, that just didn’t seem to matter to my ego). I sat down to reflect and lick my wounds.

Here’s the crux of what I learned:

  • Asking for help does not mean you are stupid.  It just means you are not thick enough to stop yourself from learning or letting other people exercise their talents in a specific field. Take that one, ego!
  • Letting your guard down to show people your vulnerabilities is not disempowering it is the opposite — you’re empowering yourself to be who you are. Your vulnerabilities can make you more relatable to others and yourself.  Huh? Cut yourself some slack! We’re all trying our best and sometimes we fall. The hallmark of a pro is to get up again and dust off — that’s what makes you who you are.
  • Take a massive slice of humble pie and have a good laugh at your expense. The ego diminishes at the sound of you laughing at yourself. Don’t take things personally (even if it’s you doing the personal criticizing).
  • To stubbornly try and do something against your grain, especially when you know you are going down a slippery slope, causes you pain. Stop doing it. Trust your gut instinct — if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.  If you must do it, ask for help instead of getting your knickers in a knot. The ego is always trying to compare, compete or criticize — try identify any of these traits in what you are pursuing. Be honest with yourself — are you doing this for you or for someone/something else?

More Pie?

After I had my slice of humble pie, I came across the very same situation yesterday. Instead of a repeat performance of slipping into a state of panic, self-torture, anguish and dismay at my perceived lack of capabilities, I had a good laugh at myself and the reoccurring predicament I found myself in.

I acknowledged that this was another moment where I was out of my depth and I immediately asked for help.

I felt like I stepped aside from my ego and witnessed myself in that vulnerable but okay place and I wasn’t feeling diminished in any way.  I was just me and it felt good.

The actual problem was sorted in less than 10 minutes and, contrary to what I thought, I wasn’t at fault this time (yay for me!). It was like a test from the Universe to see if I had digested that humble pie I ate last week.

My conclusion was to love yourself despite your ‘faults’, accept yourself for who you are and don’t give a toss what other people think of you. Step into your power and own the gifts that are specifically you — don’t try to be who you are not.

Be happy.

Original article was written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Conscious Life News (CLN) — click here to discover why over 500k people love this awesome site!

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10 Ascension Tips You Need to Know

Cosmic Dance

As tongue-in-cheek as this article title intended to be — there is something to this biblical concept of ‘ascension’ but it may not be what you think.

To Be or Not To Be…What Was the Question?

Who am I?  

If this has been your question, then I would like to officially welcome you to the human race.

What needs to be clarified is that you know who you are.  You are the I Am that I Am.  This is not just some new flavour caption or the latest (or possibly, oldest) spiritual declaration of the times. This is a statement that holds no ego, no space and no time.  This is your true identity.  When you question your identity, you believe that you are less than what you are.  You are never this — you are only stuck in the illusion or the dream that you are lacking in some way or another.

Your Personal Spiritual Path

Now to find true meaning behind the saying is your spiritual path — your journey to enlightenment.  To say the words with no meaning or context is useless and is as effective as saying any prayer like a parrot and not feeling the words being said.

“You do not need to ‘find’ yourself because you were and are never lost.”

We so often miss this vital point.  Your ‘homework’ is to give juice to this phrase.  You do not need to ‘find’ yourself because you were and are never lost.  You need to rediscover who you are because you have forgotten – that’s all.  How you get to this point is entirely up to you.  Every soul takes a unique path to their spiritual awakening and this can be fun and daunting at the same time.  Now, this brings me to ascension – the latest hot topic.

Don’t Be Fooled by the Rapture

EscapismWill some be beamed off the face of the Earth (possibly like the Mayan civilization – disappeared never to be seen again) or will we all die and move on to the wondrous 5th dimension that has been promised by so many prophets and soothsayers?  Will the religiously righteous be taken up to heaven while the rest are left to fight out the apocalypse?  Is this all just one big hoax or money-making scheme?

They do seem like rather strange questions, don’t they? But believe it or not, they are being asked. We are looking outside ourselves for answers and we want them fast.

Some were even led to believe that the 21st December 2012 was going to be ‘the date’.

Now here’s how I understand this cosmic rapturing conundrum.

Could Love Be Key to the Ascension?

Ascension is a state of elevating yourself into a different level of consciousness and, in my humble opinion, is not a physical event.  This is a lateral and not a literal experience.

What has love got to do with it?  Let’s examine this more closely.

Firstly, fear is the catalyst for being in an eternal drama.  I say eternal because if you don’t break the pattern of fear it will lead to the inevitable cycle of karma – cause and effect.  You will be doing it again if you don’t learn this time around.

“You incarnated with the intention to overcome the illusion and fear is the root cause of all illusion.”

This is not some form of punishment – this will come from the will of your over soul – your higher self. You incarnated with the intention to overcome the illusion and fear is the root cause of all illusion.  Love is the reality and love will cancel out all fear.

So your job is to examine fear – not to push it aside like most of us are guilty of doing but to take it out and look at it.  We need to face the fear and walk through it.  You can take this literally or metaphorically, the choice is yours and will fit the situation.

Trust Your Gut Instinct

Your discernment is the key factor in outing your darkness.  Only you know what cobwebs are lurking in the deep caverns of your soul.  Only you can dust those corners and expose them to the light.

If some fears need facing head on, then do it!  If some need therapy, then do it!  If some need deep reflection and meditation, then do it!  No more excuses.  If you are making excuses, for whatever reasons you have, be very sure that you are fully aware that your excuses ARE your choices.

“No-one else is responsible for you.”

If you choose to excuse yourself from your lessons then you will be in for another round on the karma wheel – your choice.  Some people take longer to pull finger than others – this applies to lifetimes too, you know.  So it is appropriate that some will not achieve full enlightenment in this lifetime, there will be other lifetimes to battle this out – your choice.  If you are a go-getter, then why not make it this lifetime?

As Yoda said, ‘Do or do not – there is no try’.  But the bottom line to this bollocking is that you must be responsible for your choices.  No-one else is responsible for you.  If this is your mindset you are in for a rude awakening!  No pun intended.

I Am that I Am

Now let’s get back to ascension. Ascension, for me, is embodying your experience here on earth by:

  • knowing at a deep soul level your ‘I Am’ presence (being resolute about who you are),
  • accepting what is and always knowing when to take appropriate loving action when there is something you can change,
  • understanding that unconditional love holds the answer to all problems,
  • finding the compassion in any situation and forgiving freely,
  • giving freely with no attachment,
  • seeing divinity en-masse, with no exceptions,
  • knowing, at all times, that there is divine order,
  • knowing you are a part of the entire system called ‘life’ therefore stepping into unity consciousness,
  • honouring all life — in whatever shape or form, including self,
  • being comfortably in the world but not of it.

We need to face everything with resolution that all is in divine order.  Whatever is just is.  There is a peace that comes with this acceptance.  If you are fighting this phrase you still need to accept that there is divine order and that you are divine.

If you do feel this then when you are faced with a fear based situation, be the calm presence.

“There simply is no ‘ceasing to exist’ – even if you do leave your body behind.”

Even if this situation means death – all you have to do is state I AM THAT I AM.  If you die in fear you will generate a lesson that you will have to walk through again…yup, the good ‘ol wheel of karma.

If you die stating and knowing in your heart that you ARE the divine, you have accepted mastery.  You are in dharma or nirvana.  There simply is no ‘ceasing to exist’ — even if you do leave your body behind.  If you ascend with or without your body —state the I AM THAT I AM.

Your only job is to make sure you know what you are stating and that it is felt in your heart.

The Heart Chakra

When you are faced with fear, try to concentrate your energy on your heart center.  Feel your heart swell with love and gratitude for whatever brings you these feelings in your life – whether it be your children, grandchildren, pets, friends, anything that brings you joy and feelings of elation — this is how you will elevate yourself into a different frequency.  Now expand that feeling.

Practice this over and over again until you can switch on the sensation of immense love whenever you have to.  When you send out love and light to the world or to anyone or anything, make sure you are feeling the love in your heart centre (chakra).  This makes it more potent and it will bring more of that feeling back to you – so it’s a win-win situation.

When you love, there simply is no space left for fear.  You will be on a different vibratory plane.  Fear won’t ‘fit’ anymore.

Truth Be Told

I read a channeled message saying that we need to speak our truths.  If you don’t speak your truth for fear of what people may think of you, you are not ready.  That resonated with me and I am now fully motivated to stand up and say it like it is and if people think I’m a nutter, well, why the hell not!

I am proud to stand up at AA (abnormal anonymous – although not quite so anonymous anymore) and say, ‘Hi, my name is Cherie and I am completely abnormal.  But hey, I Am that I Am.’

The ascension is the awakening to your divine self, the knowledge that you are a part of God and the acceptance that everything has divine order and purpose.  In order to do this, you must also see this divinity en-masse — in everyone and everything.  How can peace and love not arise with this attitude?

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The Secret to Excellent Living

Finding Humility Through Wisdom

Taking Responsibility For Your Co-Creative Abilities

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