Have you looked at a calendar recently? We celebrate so many holidays. Aside from the standard ones like Easter, Halloween and Christmas, there are other specialty days for almost anything. In fact, according to awarnessdays.com there is Dr. Seuss Day, Pancake Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day and unbelievably, National Spaghetti Day. With so much going on, it is easy to get lost in the sea of events to observe. So, I would like to bring your attention an event that is well worth investigating. It is World Ego Awareness Day.
On May 11th of each year a non-profit organization called the Ego Awareness Movement, encourages everyone to take a moment to observe how our egos function and the affect it has on the quality of our lives. In a world driven by time, it is an important undertaking to pause and reflect for a few moments on what is considered the biggest contributor to our mental health – our egos. This is a subject that most of us want to ignore because it challenges us to take a closer look at our thoughts and behaviour; the automatic responses to certain triggers to our subconscious belief systems.
Upon perusing the organizations website ‘egoawarenessmovement.org’, I noticed that it is packed with information and inspiration on identifying the ego and recognizing the way it works and influences our lives. You don’t have to be on a ‘spiritual path’, practice yoga or anything of that sort to be able to glean substance from this site.
To quote the founder who simply identifies himself as ‘Anon I mus’; “The real cause of human suffering lies in the lack of education (social awareness) about the ‘ego’ and how it controls our perception (without being detected).” I particularly like this quote because so many of us are unaware of how the ego influences our thoughts, emotions, actions and quality of life. For example, the site identifies the characteristics of the ego as:
- Resenting and resisting change
- Seeking approval from others; external validation
- It lives in constant comparison to others
- It feels the need to be right from a mental standpoint
- Thinks it is the separate doer of actions
- It believes itself to solely be the physical body/personality
- It is conditional
- It promotes separation/exclusivity
- It is shallow (has a need to impress others)
- It does not trust
- It is defensive (taking things personally);
- It is co-dependent on people
- It represses
- It cannot love unconditionally
- It is possessive
and so on.
You may be familiar with terms that have gained popularity lately like mindfulness, meditation, consciousness, the shift etc. – well all of these terms are based on becoming more aware of the ego and its place in our lives. For example, in practicing mindfulness we become conscious of our thoughts and how they affect our daily experiences. However, when we realize the ego’s part in where our negative thoughts are originating from, we are able to experience a better result from being mindfully present. If that seems intriguing, confusing, or both – go to the website as it explains the ego in much more detail.
I strongly encourage you to get out there on May 11th – participate in your community or even in your own home. Learn how to live the best and most peaceful version of yourself. Do something that will help you gain more awareness of your own ego, not only for one day of the year, but continue raising your awareness moment to moment. Every day can be Ego Awareness Day!
For more information about the ego and the movement, visit www.egoawarenessmovement.org
Summary:
This article shares information about a very special day that is open to people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. It is World Ego Awareness Day and is observed on May 11th of each year. This article shares some of the characteristics of the ego, to raise awareness of how it functions in our lives and to connect people with a valuable online, free resource. The message encourages people to explore what the ego is, how to identify it and how May 11th is a day when everyone (worldwide) can take a moment to pause and observe their own egos. Through perusal of the Ego Awareness Movement website, I was able to learn important information about raising awareness of my own egoic mind and how I can identify changes in my life, in order to live more mindful. I encourage everyone to read this article as it contains nuggets of information that can lead to their own self-discovery, healing and inner-growth.