L'Eggo My Eggo (EGO)

Inspired by the 1972 Kellogg’s commercial catchphrase, “L’Eggo my Eggo” – the non-Eggo-eating adult in me now declares to herself, L’Eggo my EGO.  The battle no longer presides over the breakfast table, but rather from within.  As Dr. Wayne Dyer ascribes, EGO is an acronym for Edging God Out.  Whether you have a specific name for God or you refer to the God within, we know when we are shifting off kilter, when we are not operating from our center and place of power – that BEST SELF version of ourselves – our true north star.  Click your heels Dorothy, there’s no place like home.Has your ego ever gotten in your way before?  Perhaps led you to do something you later regretted or wished you had done differently?  It can be disguised in many forms, like a need to be right in an argument – feet firmly planted in one rigid position.  Has your green-eyed envy monster made a recent appearance?  Has your competitive-self led to you win at all costs, missing the moments in between?  When your ego is at bay, you are not in competition with anyone and can reside within the present moment.  The ego tells us many fallacies about ourselves, for example, that we are better than, or perhaps not as good, as another.  It can be a seductive, bad-influencing little bugger.So how do you re-center yourself?  What’s your recipe for realignment?  Mine usually begins with taking ownership and being accountable for my actions.  More often than not, it includes an apology (not always the easiest thing to do).  But I have rarely met an apology that didn’t hold it’s own energetic gift.  The moment the mea culpas go out into the atmosphere, shift is upon us.  And sometimes the apology may not involve others and should be postmarked and addressed to self.How do you send up a warning flare with a spiritual SOS?  Do you have a personal practice in place?  Meditation, some form of exercise, a walk barefoot in the grass, a personal time-out, a cup of tea, some quiet time to read an inspirational book…what does Aaaaah look like for you?  How do you snap out of a downward spiral or detour from Best-Selfville?  Conscious living requires duality – an awareness of being there (or not) and a strategy for getting back there when the ego leads you astray.There are days when it seems like an endless river of junk mail floods my mailbox and inbox – streams of useless waste exploding from within.  Come on people, let’s save some trees (and pixels)!  The most egregious offenders are from the financial sector - the credit card offers, the home loan refinancers and the-improve-your-credit-score gimmicks.  I call these the financial magical thinkers – POOF, they make all of your money woes fade away.  Something recently came across my computer screen that I assumed had to do more with self-empowerment and less with finance – “Credit Karma.”  And though I was wrong about the company, the name provoked me.We are assigned these scores and ratings according to our financial histories, but what about our spiritual standing?  What do you think your Karma Credit Score would be?  Would you have to clean it up a bit or do you think you are in good-standing?  On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is full-on ego (Eggo) and 10 is spiritual balance with ego in check (L’Eggo my Eggo), where would you fall?Take stock of your spiritual pantry.  If you feel out of alignment, do something about it.  Let your Eggo go.  Remember you get to design the day in front of you.  Bring happy and good karmic credit ratings to the party!