Surviving the Holidays # 2

Today a facebook friend posted a great post from Wayne Dyer called "Seven steps for overcoming Ego." If you want to survive the holidays in tact and with a peaceful heart, these are worthy of memorizing and living by. Here's the short version...


1. Stop being offended.
2. Let go of your need to win.
3. Let go of your need to be right.
4. Let go of your need to be superior.
5. Let go of your need to have more.
6. Let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your achievements.
7. Let go of your reputation.

If the holidays are challenging you, like they are challenging the rest of us, these are sage words of wisdom, because they are the antithesis of what we generally do. Everyone gets offended, everyone feels a need to win and a need to be right, and there is an element of wanting to be superior that falls into that. Then there is obsessive desire for more, more, more which is so painful and yet so very integrated into our way of life, and because of this underlying obsession with consumerism it links to us identifying ourselves with our achievements (primarily money) and what other people think about us (reputation).

This is simply not what the holidays are about. They were never meant to represent materialism or the fighting that is ever prevalent when families get together. Without the ego, the need to be right and all of these things, the holidays can take on a different color and flavor. They can become a time of closeness (because no one is trying to win, be right or be superior) and sharing, because it's not about material possessions but about being together.

So today I invite you to sit back and take a few deep, calming breaths. Use this list, and with each breath let go. Let go of each item on the list and then, still breathing deeply, go through it again. When it takes you to the place of peacefulness - know you will not only survive but it is definitely possible that you might enjoy your holiday experience immensely. And what a holiday blessing that would be! I wish you the very best!

Blessings.
- Darshan


© 2009 Darshan F Jessop

Here is the link to the whole Wayne Dyer post: http://www.mudraa.com/trading/33202/0/overcoming-ego%E2%80%99s-pls-read-it.html