3. The Evolution of the word EGO, its time to add a little love.

There is no such thing as the ego, at least not how we have come to know it. The term ego was classically used to describe the part of a person that experiences and reacts to the outside world to ensure survival. In other words their minds, experience trained survival reflex. The term ego helped with labelling a person with a mental disease, in the beginning of understanding how and why people behave it was assumed to be important to label the part of us that seem to cause or be related to a person unhappiness, commonly still called a condition or disease. It seemed that this part contained within us had the ability to block or protect us from being happy, open and the best we could be. This was the birth of the term ego. Ego was meant to describe the core beliefs gone wrong, your survival reflex attacking itself, your mind attacking your heart, or the piece that seems to act detrimentally without needing your permission. The ego is the part of us that is programmed for survival set in play by the person experiences.

One of the main problems with ego is the way it is viewed. When you hear the word ego, do you think of a positive, neutral or potential negative quality or part of us? When you use the word "ego" do you take the word in a good context, a positive context, a loving context? Do you see the ego as a beautiful powerful tool here to help us, or this thing that within us that needs to be watched out for? Far too often the ego is thought to be a part of us that controls us instead of an amazing gift that we have at our disposal that we aim and lead. Its unfortunate the word ego and having an ego has become associated to be mostly a negative thing. The term ego has become this scary dark part that we have to protect from, watch out for and even block out. How many times have you heard someone say, hey that person is in his ego and not meant it as a compliment?

Have you been created with a piece of you that is negative?
Most of us have been taught that the ego is something detrimental. Does it really make sense that you would be born with a part of you aimed to hurt you or sabotage you? The main problem with the term ego is the way the word has been used, it implies a judgment. How can we fully love ourselves if we assume some part of us is "bad" or "can hurt us" in some way? Whenever we judge something as good or bad, it makes it almost impossible to love it.  If I judge a piece of myself as bad, then I have made it difficult for me to fully love all parts of myself.  I am going to be walking on eggshells in my own head, telling myself to be very quiet, the 'egos' sleeping – we don't want to wake it up. I mean how can you really love yourself if you automatically think that a part of you is "bad or negative" in some way.

The problems with concept of the Ego

• It attaches a negative association to a part of us
• It gives power to the word not the person
• Does not give any power of choice to change or teach
• It is a label used the same as a disease

The ego is just the mind
I think it's about time we start reassessing the word and the function of this part used to describe a persons behavior. Let's assume for a second there is no such thing as the ego, at least not the way it has come to be known. There is no doubt the existence of a piece of us that has a powerful effect on our behavior but rather than label it attached to a potentially judgmental meaning, lets update the word to see it for what it really is. The ego is the thinking computer like part of us that stores memories, and operates the reflex to survive until you take over and aim it. In other words, the ego is just the mind, not the person. The simple term "mind" instead of ego allows one understand that this is a neutral piece of us, not to be feared but to be understood and taught, the mind works for us.

You are not your mind
You should be beginning to understand that your ego or mind is not you. You are not your mind. Your mind is the fast computer part of you responsible for your survival. The mind is the part that kept you safe and protected until you could take over. Your mind has been so much a part of you for so long that it is common to believe you and the mind are the same.  

Your mind works for you.
Does it make more sense that you would be born with parts of you aimed to help or hurt you? Why would we be born with this thing that hurts us that we have to watch out for or shut off? We would not. We all have amazing tools and gifts that first have to be accepted. With the gift of free will, you can choose to believe that every part of us is here to help create happiness. It is your mind (previously termed the ego), it works for you, you don't work for it.

You can decide how to view it and use it.

Is your mind here to hurt you or serve you; is it your enemy or friend? With your free will, choose to see your mind as a gift; with this choice you not only create a powerful friend that has already proved its loyalty, but also a more peace state to create in. Your mind needs you to teach it, your mind needs you to show it wisdom and love, your mind needs a job and a project, make that project your happiness. When you accept that your mind is a powerful friend that needs your help and direction, peace replace conflict.

Training the Mind
Your many names for mind; ego, computer, survival reflex, and trained starting program, that you did not personally program, can be reprogrammed starting with your free will. Remember the mind is operating on a reflex that you did not program. In other words even your core beliefs may not always be yours. How much freedom and power can one really have if any you are controlled by reflex or a program that you did not create? With your gift of free you can update your mind with your new goals, your new beliefs and your new personal program. Conflict for instance, is what you feel when you are in a battle between what your mind is thinking and what you are feeling, these are perfect opportunities to use your free will to choose your heart which automatically shows and teaches your mind. This is your life and your gift, its time you start programming your minds speedy reflex to work where you aim it.

You and your mind have to be introduced
Your mind is your survival reflex that does not even know you even exist.  The mind is always doing the best job it can to survive, but it is on autopilot, that is until, you the pilot takes over. Now, just like a pilot may know the autopilot exists, the autopilot doesn't know that the pilot exists. So just because I know that my ego or mind exists, my ego or mind doesn't know I exist.  I have to introduce myself.  We had to get to know each other; a mind is there for the purpose that I choose. The simplest way introduce your mind to you is through the action of gratitude.

Love your mind
Waiting for your mind to tell you that the coast is clear is not the same as you telling your mind that the coast is clear. You have to commnicate with your mind, your voice is the only one that your mind will listen above all others. We need to spend the time nurturing and teaching our mind through the repeated actions of following our hearts. The mind is built to watch and learn and your heart is built to love. As you continually follow your heart, your mind will learn, adapt and assist in attracting happiness while peacefully moving you through any unknowns.

Those that have come to live in a consistent increasing state of gratitude have a working relationship with their mind, heart and body, they have not separated them or shut them off. With the mind they have trained it, encouraged it and loved it. They have trained and taught the mind to focus on love, peace, joy and gratitude. In other words they have trained the mind to serve the heart. They use their mind as a gift; their mind does not use them.