Ego Can Puff One Up But Everyone Eventually Lands
An out-of control ego is blind to its destructive power, causing pain for both for its owner and others. Here are three symptoms that one is under the influence of the ego:
1. A lack of insight into how indulging one’s thoughts, words and deeds in the present moment leads to pervasive pain as well as rejection by others.
2. Unwillingness to consider the advice of those who care about you.
3. Urgency to get what one wants immediately, despite longer-term, healthier options. “I didn’t have to do it this way, but” is an example.
There are many factors that can lead to an unregulated ego. Depression, family dysfunction, mood swings and addictions are but a few. The good news is that alternatives to behaving poorly do exist. The bad news is that under the influence of ego, those alternatives can seem insulting, dull or tedious. If a person caught in the endless pain of egotism is finally sick enough of its results to change, here are a few of the ways help regulate the ego:
1. Be willing to ask for then accept support and advice from others.
2. Realize that everyone makes mistakes, and everyone makes a fool out of themselves sometimes. It is part of being human and people can forgive those who can admit mistakes.
3. Become someone you would trust to act well on your behalf.
4. Accept professional help when needed.
5. Accept that people already see us as we are, not as we pretend we are.
6. Cultivate gratitude. Gratitude is the underpinning of the sort of humility in life that helps us learn to fall, get up, and learn from our mistakes.