Discover the wisdom of one of the world’s most brilliant minds
Imagine you die today.
- Today → They take you to the morgue.
- After 24 hours → You are cremated or buried.
- After 1 week → Your loved ones celebrate a mass in your honor.
- After 1 month → Someone still mourns your loss.
- After 6 months → People go on with their lives.
- After 1 year → The memorial (your closest relatives go and not all of them).
- After 10 years → Someone remembers you when looking at an old photo.
- After 25 years → Not even your grandchildren remember your name.
So why do we care so much about the opinions of others if, in the best scenario, 25 years from our dead, no one will give a sh*t about us?
I have asked myself this question thousands of times, and after reading Michael Alan Singer’s book “The untethered soul,” I found the answer. And it is alarming.
That’s why in today’s article, I want to share with you three sentences from that book that will blow your mind and, I believe, will change your perspective on things.
Let’s dive in.
1. How to grow spiritually
You’re ready to grow when you finally realize that the “I” who is always talking inside yourself will never be content. — Michael A. Singer.
We think we are our ego and the ego is only a part, not the whole. That is why we care so much about the opinions of others.
Michael tells us that spiritual growth happens only when we understand that the Self that dwells within us is not us.
And that if we observe it, we will realize that no matter how much we pamper it, it will never have enough: it will always want more.
Michael, in his book, asks us to imagine our ego as a physical being that we “the witness consciousness” observe from the outside, like being the spectators of a stand-up show.
The comedian is our ego, and we are the spectator.
In doing so, we realize that we are in front of a dramatic, neurotic person (our ego) who does not know what he wants and complains about everything very well.
A person capable of embittering any moment of happiness complaining to us constantly.
When we are aware of this, we take away her power.
Application to your life:
Every time ego tells you things like,
“Your partner is late because he/she is cheating on you.”
“This job sucks.”
“Stop having fun and start thinking about all your problems.”
Look at it from the outside and realize that your ego is a spoilsport that is rarely right. (It will never have enough even if you satisfy its whims.)
2. How to deal with problems
When a problem is disturbing you, don’t ask, “What should I do about it?” Ask, “What part of me is being disturbed by this?” — Michael A. Singer.
We have fewer problems than we think. The problem is that our inner Self whispers ugly things to us all the time, turning something that is not a problem into an issue.
“Your boss is going to fire you.”
“Your friend is going to betray you.”
“That person doesn’t like you.”
“Your mother-in-law deliberately disrespects you because she knows you must shut up.”
All of the above are ego assumptions. Maybe your boss doesn’t dislike you, your friend doesn’t betray you, that person doesn’t dislike you, and your mother-in-law likes you even if you don’t believe it.
But the ego turns everything into a problem.
Ego loves to make mountains out of molehills.
On top of that, it whispers impractical solutions to you like, “Give that person an ultimatum or tell her to go f*ck herself.” And your problem gets even more significant.
Application to your life:
When you think you have a problem, instead of feeling poorly about the situation or the person supposedly causing it, ask yourself, “What part of me is bothered by this?”
And you will discover that most of the time, what seems like a problem is not. And most disturbing of all… Most of the time, it is an internal problem of yours. Something you haven’t healed yet, some personal wound.
It happens to me with my mother and a family member. My ego tells me, “This guy is selfish,” or “Your mother doesn’t value you, and you take care of her all the time.”
Upon analysis, I realized that 1) the relative I’m referring to is trying to do his life, and there’s nothing wrong with that, and 2) my mother didn’t ask me to take care of her even though she needs me.
That humbling bath did me good because I saw that the problem was internal; instead of having two issues (my mother and x family member), I understood that I had one (my resentment).
Apply it to your life, and you will notice the difference.
3. How to find solutions
The real problem is that something inside you can have a problem with almost anything. — Michael A. Singer.
As we have seen in the previous point, your inner chatter can make you bitter about anything good that happens to you.
- A sunrise.
- A romantic encounter.
- An outing with friends.
- A promotion at work.
You have an ego capable of seeing the downside of anything that presents itself in your reality and embittering any good news.
And therefore turn things that are not problems into problems. So the best thing to do is to realize it and find solutions to the things that happen to us from calmness.
Application to your life:
The best way to solve a problem is to follow these steps.
- Find out if you have a real problem or if your ego is trying to convince you that you do.
- If you have a real problem, the second thing to do is to calm down because, as Michael says, “No solution can possibly exist while you’re lost in the energy of a problem.”
- Then you have to deal with your reactions to what is happening.
- Finally, use the energy and peace you now have to find the best possible solution.
This works much better than you think because when you make decisions from a calm state, the percentage of correct choices you make increases.
A virtual hug
AG
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