Wouldn’t it be great if you could, at will, substitute the following negative ego emotions with the opposite positive higher emotions of the soul.

There are three ways to do this:

1) Make a choice
2) Be vigilant
3) Create new mental grooves.

Yes it is as simple as that, and there is only one catch.

You must let yourself believe it really is a matter of choice, and, once you make that choice – stick to it.

You may be thinking at this point, ‘I can’t simply make a choice not to be upset at something that is upsetting’. That’s true, but the difference is – how long do you stay upset.

Some forms of emotional reaction are that intense and sudden that you need to give them expression, much like venting. But you draw the line between venting and festering.

Have you noticed that when something has bothered you, the mind likes to keep reminding you of it, even if you have already spent more than enough time ruminating about it.

You may be trying to think of something else, but at regular intervals a little suggestion goes off in your head about this subject you are trying to forget.

The way to stop slipping back into the mental groove so easily is to spend as little time as possible thinking about it.

As soon as you are aware your thoughts are becoming repetitive, let that train of thought drop like a hot potato, and shift your attention to something else.

There was a time I had to fill in some well worn mental grooves. They were like pot holes, and I could slip into them very easily and have quite a time heaving myself out of them. I had a lot of frustration with my ego mind wanting to nag me. In the end I used two techniques:

1) Repeat power words in my mind.
2) Use gratitude and remember what you already have (whatever you have, even if it’s quite small).

Ego Work-out

When I was young, I really struggled with negativity. My life felt like a Snakes & Ladders board game. One day I could not help noticing that my struggles had a pattern to them that kept repeating. It was then I realised (painfully) that I can’t keep blaming the world, that there must be something else and that something else was…..me.

After ten years of working on my ego, I discovered it’s a powerful method of spiritual growth. It’s a process of reclaiming your energy and vitality and a more consistent way of tapping into your Invincible Self, your Soul.

Most people would benefit from ego work. It is a type of work that has to be done with sincerity or it will be forced, and the results won’t last. The beauty of it is that it’s situational, so there is no need to make the time for it. Your daily life, as it is today, is the vehicle for your spiritual growth.

I have taken my ego out of the drivers seat. It now sits in the passenger seat with my Soul at the wheel. That doesn’t mean I never have a hard day, and at times my ego has tried to wrestle with my soul over the steering wheel – but it doesn’t keep its grip for nearly as long as it used to.

It also means that when something arises that’s a disappointment or an upset, I am not swamped, or overwhelmed, and can feel that this day does not represent my whole life.

The ego work I describe will nourish and strengthen you in the following areas:

• Emotional wellness
• Self-discipline
• Energy and vitality
• Self confidence
• Health and rate of aging
• Optimise the Law of Attraction

Personally, these are the gains I’ve reaped from working on my ego:

• I can choose which of my thoughts to go along with – I don’t become my thoughts.
• I don’t get mood swings or strong negative emotions like depression.
• I can slow or stop the chatter-box mind, at will.
• I feel concern but never worry. Worry is a choice.
• I feel more alive, more alert, and I notice more around me.
• I have more physical energy and feel younger than my age.
• I have lightened up and feel light on my feet.
• On the outside I seem more peaceful and those around me are positively influenced.
• When I have to get something done, I do it better, faster and with fewer or no errors.
• My centre of gravity is stronger, which means if I slip, I don’t fall like a sack of potatoes but recover, or if I flip while skiing, I land like a rag doll.

Working on the ego to make it less dominant does free up a lot of good energy. You also become more finely tuned and can feel love as a force, something you can tap into whenever you want.

Ego Training is not an outward show. Everything in your life involving relationships and interactions with others is a vehicle for training the ego to get out of the driver’s seat of your life.

One of the most solid ways to gain ground over ego dominance is to become more centered within your being and having at your disposal the ability to still the mind. To develop this life skill check out how to reduce ego using meditation.

If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of an ego trip (and who hasn’t), check out this blog on my own ego trip and how I pulled myself out of it in Ego Trips and Landing Safely.