I worked on recognizing my ego for this week’s bettering yourself exercise, and I learned the truth in Eckhart Tolle’s statement that “the present moment is the enemy of the ego”.
When I was thinking about past limitations or future uncertainties, it was my ego getting in the way of my happiness again.
When I felt as if I needed more and more of something, (attention, food, recognition), like waiting for my family to comment on how good the dinner is, I recognized it was my ego surfacing again; not allowing me to be content with what I have, or with the happiness I felt in the present moment.
Instead of being able to enjoy the present moment, my ego was focusing on getting to some place in the future instead of enjoying the now. For instance, I cooked some new Mexican recipes this week that my family loved, and my ego started me thinking I could open a Mexican restaurant. How bizarre, I thought. But the ego can be deceptive, so it is something I am going to continue to watch out for.