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Ego or Insight

Notes from Janey . . .

At a personal development retreat, a hundred people put their name in a basket in the hope of asking a spiritual leader a question. It could be spiritual, personal, or physical – there were no limits placed on the kinds of questions one could ask. I wrote my name on a small piece of paper, but hesitated before putting it in. I was surprised to realize that I didn’t have a burning question to ask, and thought by putting my name in the pot, it would add to the odds against someone else who did.

My friend was one. She had many questions to ask and struggled to find just one should her name be called. But it wasn’t called. That evening, away from the others, we talked about her question: “When you ask for guidance, how do you know if it comes from ego or true insight?”

Good question.

I have had the opportunity many times to speak on the topic of how to recognize our inner voice – how to tap into our well of wellbeing and find guidance from our true source. You could say that it is a pet subject of mine. It’s not because I have the answer, it’s because I’m fascinated by the question.

Simply put, this is how I know the difference when it is my ego shouting to be heard or it is my true self offering a guiding hand: I ask myself these questions.

1) Does the answer serve just myself or is it for the good of the whole? Ego is selfish, having a very limited perspective, trapped inside the mind. Our inner self is not selfish and small-minded because its perspective is from a higher plane of existence – unlimited and vast. Be honest with yourself. Ego hates it when you are.

2) When I think of acting on this guidance, what emotions does it provoke? Am I terrified or elated? Overwhelmed or excited? Resigned or exuberant? Is my heart closed or open? Our emotions are true mileposts of where our actions are taking us. We should notice and listen to them more often. True insight would never ask us to do something against our better good. Ego would.

It’s important to recognize whether it is ego or true insight when we ask for guidance.

But above all, we must remember to keep asking.