The past week was filled with a ton of information. What caught my attention was the re-fresher information about the ‘ego’. No I will not reference Freud…for now. Ok, maybe just a little. We have heard about the -Id, Ego and Superego. The Ego is the rational mediator between the impulsive Id and judgemental superego. I will now attempt to draw you away from psychological analysis and into my simple thoughts.
We have heard of phrases that people use when encountered by episodes that reek of someone’s ego -in leadership, friendship and relationships. -My ego is bruised. -Talent and ego cannot go hand in hand. -Leave your ego at the door. And much more. So where am I going with this? Hang in there dear reader…
This ego that exists, does so to serve a purpose. As with everything, it is important to have a balance. It can be a humbling thing or an enlightening thing. Here goes,
Everything
Grows
Old
Yes I did it! Acronyms reloaded. It occurred to me, how much our ego helps us to remain attached to things or people (whether good or bad) because we cannot imagine a situation without that thing. For example, ‘It hurts more to leave than to stay’ – therefore we stay in relationships that aren’t good for us. ‘It is very embarrassing to scream in public’ – we therefore avoid situations that require us to let loose and perhaps open our minds with new experiences. We become ‘comfortable’ because our ego might be fractured.
Story time!
One day Echo sees Narcissus by chance and falls desperately in love with him. He, however, makes it clear that her love will never be reciprocated. Constantly pining for him Echo wastes away until all that remains of her is her voice.
Beautiful Narcissus, so loved and yet unloving, sees no one worthy of his love until he catches sight of an exquisite being in a pool of water as he bends down to take a drink. Filled with longing for the figure, he tries in vain to reach the person in the water. Eventually he recognizes it is himself and just as Echo suffered so does he: he too wastes away and his body is transformed into a delicate flower leaning over the edge of a pool.
There is more to the story above. It could be about vanity, relationships (personal/professional), or a host of other things. It is up to you to recognize when your ego is in the way of your growth. Why would you be your own stumbling block? I wonder…
The acronym came to me after analyzing the above scenarios. Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by our egos? Yes, the ego serves a purpose. Don’t misquote me. However, as with everything else we experience,
Everything
Grows
Old
With this in mind, not every battle is worth our blood and sweat right?
This is soo great. Thank you for the acronym.