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The role of managing the ego in enabling the Law of Attraction and influencing positive personal development March 14, 2012

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Ego Management.
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In recent years there has been a lot discussion about the dynamics of our minds and our thought processes, or ego management, and the concept that improper channelling of our thoughts can lead to negative results regarding workings of the Law of Attraction.

If we simplify the concepts of managing our ego, controlling our ego, or regarding our ego as a management challenge; and also simplify the concept of the Law of Attracting to stating that positive thoughts attract positive results and negative thoughts produce negative results, it is clear that our ego or simply the workings of our mind can have a definite influence on some outcomes in our lives.

Although the concept of our thoughts or our egos influencing life outcomes is as old as the written word, and is a key component of wisdom writing from ancient times to the present, it is only recently that the idea has been codified with the words the “Law of Attraction.”

There is some thinking that, by taking advantage of the Law of Attraction, if we can only think abundance and not scarcity, for example, then we can attract abundance in our lives. It all seems simple, mystical and magical.

However, many critics of the popular concept of the Law of Attraction note that all the ego management we can muster, and all the positive thoughts we can produce are not enough to solve many of the serious problems we face in our lives, and which the people of the world face in their day-to-day struggles to survive and prosper.

I am not saying that ego management, ego control , mind control, or thought control applied or implemented towards the Law of Attraction does not work, but I do believe that it works differently than the simple and popularized conception of: abundance  thinking = attraction of abundance; or scarcity thinking = attraction of scarcity.

I believe that The Law of Attraction does exist, but in a more complex way than has been popularized, and I also think there should be recognition that there is also a Law of Repelling, or, stated in more familiar terms,  a Law of Non-Attraction.  It is our conscious decisions in managing our mind, our thinking, or our ego that energizes these laws, or principles; coupled with positive actions.

My own experience with the Law of Attraction and my so-called Law of Non-Attraction or “Law of Repelling“ is that if we take positive actions, such as working on specific goals in a program of personal development and start to have success with various components in our personal growth program, we are likely to have a more positive personality. By achieving successes through managing our ego to focus on setting goals and achieving them, we start to recognize additional opportunities for growth and can capitalize on them.

The Law of Attraction might say that we are “attracting” these opportunities, but what is really happening is that we are allowing these opportunities to present themselves to an open, accepting mind, and to an ego that is confident and not fearful of change.

Similarly, if we allow our ego to run rampant with negativity, do not attempt to accomplish any personal growth gaols and thereby create a positive mental attitude, we will not likely  be in a position to recognize opportunities as they manifest, and in effect could say that the Law of Non-Attraction is operating.

As another example, if we are facing significant financial problems and start to manage our ego or mind to begin looking at possible solutions and setting realistic goals to make or save extra money, instead of worrying about our money difficulties, then we are more likely to recognize opportunities in the financial sphere when they present themselves.  Proponents of the everyday interpretation of the Law of Attraction might say we are attracting“ those opportunities.

Conversely, if we focus our ego or mind on scarcity and continuously worry about the bad financial circumstances we are in, we are not likely to be in a position to seize chances to improve our finances when favourable circumstances arise. The negative focus of our ego or mindset is then blinding us to opportunity. Proponents of the usual interpretation of the Law of attraction would say that this is a demonstration of scarcity thinking = scarcity attraction.

Managing the ego can produce significant personal development benefits March 14, 2012

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Ego Management.
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If we can accept the broad definition of Eckhart Tolle that the ego is essentially the constantly chattering voice in our head, or our incessant thinking about the past and present, it is clear that controlling the ego needs to be part of a successful program of personal growth, a program, which by definition, must focus on the actions we take in the present.

The ego, which is sometimes wrongly identified only with excessive pride or egotism, can in fact be a voice that discourages us, a voice that makes us fearful and concerned with all the worrisome “what if” scenarios that could unfold in our future. Similarly the ego can hang us up in the past with the many “could have” or “should have” situations we revisit from our past life.

The ego, or the constantly thinking voice in our head, often prevents us from enjoying the present moment. The only way we can seem to avoid this non-stop voice of the ego is to become totally absorbed in something. This is one of the reasons why we all enjoy hobbies or favourite pursuits; we are looking for relief from the voice in our heads that will not leave us in peace. This is when we are “in the zone” and are too preoccupied to allow the ego to interfere. In effect, this is when the  ego is shut out.

In his seminal book, A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle presents his idea of what life would be like if we could exercise control over the ego, or effectively manage the ego: “As the ego is no longer running your life, the psychological need for external security, which is illusory anyway, lessens. When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do and no longer prevents you from taking action to initiate change. ..If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it [uncertainty] is acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness and creativity.”

In many ways the concept of personal development or personal growth does indeed focus on the future, but it does so in a positive way rather than repeatedly walking a never-ending path of a future filled with the obstacles of negativity and fear. There is no harm in our thinking about the future in a positive way and making plans for personal improvement, because by doing so we are removing the element of apprehension from our egos.

Taking concrete steps to plan for the future is vastly different than worrying or fretting about the future, but not taking tangible steps to realize our goals. However, as most of us have discovered, calming the ego, controlling the ego, or managing the ego, is not an easy task. That is why the word development is used in the term “personal development.” Development is a constant and continuing process, and even though the goals are in the future, the action towards a positive future is being taken in steady steps now,  in the present moment.

There have been many books, videos, and other information sources developed with the goal of helping us to live in the present moment and enjoy the “now.” Many of these suggestions focus on meditation and other spiritual practices. These approaches can be important as components of our overall personal growth programs and our strategies for self-improvement.

But taking action on realizing our gaols is also vital. Focussing on a goal in the present, or planning in the present for achieving our future goals keeps us focussed on the positive aspects of the  present moment.  And that is one of the best ways to control the ego, or at least to minimize the ego’s tendency to fill the present moment with regrets about the past or foreboding about the future.