What Does It Really Mean to Let Go of Your Ego?
Source: Samuel Austin
Do you find yourself having a lot of fearful thoughts all the time? Thoughts about not being enough or not having enough? This is probably your ego talking.
Many people find it hard to recognize their ego and have no idea how it may be affecting their life negatively. Maybe you’ve heard about the concept of letting go of your ego, but what does that really mean?
To let go of our ego means letting go of the control our ego has over our life. A lot of people believe they need to get rid of their ego entirely, but this is not the case. We need our ego: it’s a survival mechanism created by our conscious mind. But when we let our ego-self take the driver’s seat, it can cause problems in our life.
It took me a long time to realize my ego was ruining my life. I had done everything I thought would make me happy. But somehow I was always chasing happiness and could never find it. What was I doing wrong?
I started to realize that there was a part of me that had always been telling me what I should do. Clearly, that advice wasn’t working out very well for me. What if I just stopped listening to that voice and started doing what I truly felt like doing?
At the time I didn’t realize that I was in the process of letting go of my ego. This marked the beginning of my spiritual journey. Once I started to let go of my ego, everything in my life changed – and I never looked back.
If you’d like to learn more about how your ego might be playing a role in your life, read on. In this post, I’ll go over what it really means to let go of your ego, why it’s important, and how to start.
What Exactly Is Your Ego?
We hear about the ego often, but what is your ego exactly? Your ego is the part of your conscious mind that created your sense of self – the concept of who you are, based on your personal traits, beliefs, and behaviors.
So why do we have an ego? The ego emerges in early childhood as a way to see ourselves as separate from everything around us and to form a sense of individual identity. It helps us to navigate the world around us and to function in society.
Basically, it’s our ego’s job to protect our sense of self and keep us safe. To achieve this, it’s constantly telling us what’s right and wrong, what’s better or worse, and what we should and shouldn’t do based on that information. This helps us make decisions that keep us out of harm's way while we’re going through life.
What Does It Mean to Let Go of Your Ego?
So if our ego is protecting us, why would we want to let go of our ego? The ego is not inherently a bad thing – it only becomes problematic when we let it run our entire lives.
Because it’s our ego’s job to protect us from the outside world, it’s literally always in survival mode. This means it’s operating from a place of fear, lack, and separation.
And when we are too identified with our ego, we can become obsessed with things like our appearance, status, money, or power. Not because they really bring us happiness, but because our ego is telling us we need those things to be safe in life.
To let go of your ego means being able to see beyond its limited perspective. It doesn’t mean getting rid of the ego entirely but it means letting it take a back seat.
What Happens When You Let Go of Your Ego?
When our ego becomes more balanced, we’re able to be more open to other perspectives. Letting go of your ego is not a quick or easy process. You’re basically letting go of what you believe is your personality. This is often accompanied by a period of confusion, depression, and emptiness – the so-called Dark Night of the Soul.
Okay, so you’re probably thinking, “This sounds terrible! Why would I want to let go of my ego?” But I promise, once you experience life without your ego in the driver's seat, you’ll never want to go back.
When you start to let go of your ego, you’ll find that your life starts to drastically change for the better. You’ll begin to feel more joy, more peace, and more ease and flow. Because when your ego stops calling the shots, you’ll finally be able to tune into the aspect of you that is connected to a higher consciousness: your higher self.
In contrast to our ego, our higher self comes from a place of love, trust, and unity. You’ll stop doing things out of fear, and start doing things because you feel inspired. This is one of the most important changes you can make in your life.
➡ Related Post: What is a Dark Night of the Soul?
How to Let Go of Your Ego
If you feel like your ego is controlling your life, here are 3 steps to start letting go:
1. Recognize your ego's voice
To be able to let go of your ego, you have to know what it sounds like. When you’re having thoughts that are making you uncomfortable, try to identify if they could be coming from your ego.
Your ego is always focused on fear, lack, limitation, and separation. It will often think of the worst possible scenario to try to protect you.
If your thoughts are making you feel bad, insecure, or anxious, it’s probably your ego talking.
2. Observe your ego’s role
When our ego becomes too strong, it can start to affect our lives in a negative way. When we’re motivated by fear or lack, then we’re probably not going for what we really want in life.
Start to pay attention to how your ego is affecting the choices you make. Is it really protecting you or is it just holding you back?
For example, your ego might be telling you that you’re not smart enough to go for that job you really want. Does that stop you from moving forward?
Take inventory of what areas of your life are most ego-driven. Maybe your ego is not as judgmental when it comes to money or your career, but it’s constantly criticizing you when it comes to love or your relationships.
Being aware of when your ego is calling the shots, helps you identify negative patterns in your life that are getting in your way.
3. Don’t (always) listen to your ego
If you feel your ego is holding you back in life, it might be time to start letting go of it.
Acknowledge what your ego is trying to say (and how it’s trying to keep you safe) but then decide for yourself whether or not you want to listen to it.
What has helped me to quiet my ego voice is to make a list of all the things my ego has to say. Then I question each statement: Is it really true or is this just a worst-case scenario?
Often you’ll find that, under closer examination, a lot of your ego’s concerns are not real.
Sure, it might have some good points to consider – in which case, take appropriate action – but it shouldn’t stop you from living the life of your dreams.
Thank the ego part of you for looking out for you, but then say, “I got this!”
Want to learn more about letting go of your ego? You might like this article:
Final Thoughts
Your ego is not your enemy — It’s what allowed you to create your personal identity and helps you survive in life.
But when we identify with our ego too much, it can cause an imbalance. When you’re only listening to your ego, all your decisions will be made out of fear and lack.
Instead, try to let go of your ego a bit. Listen to what it has to say, but don’t let it control everything you do in life. When you make space for your higher self to guide you, you’ll start to create a life you actually want to live.
XO
Annie
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