“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” ~ Steve Jobs – I recently read ‘4000 Weeks’ by Oliver Burkeman. Based on the Burkeman’s formula, I have maybe 1,100 good weeks left [4,000 weeks – (Your Age x 52 weeks)]. Steve Jobs had less than 3,000 weeks and would have gladly traded his billions to beat his pancreatic cancer and still be here with us playing the great game of life. The least you and I can do with the precious time we have left is to use it wisely to add value to the world in some meaningful fashion, starting with our spouse, family, friends and colleagues, pretty much in that order.
“If someone corrects you, and you feel offended, then YOU have an EGO problem” ~ Nouman Ali Khan – Being wrong is fine, stubbornly staying wrong is not.
“Most people are so stuck in their egos that everything revolves around me, me, and more me. But if you want to be rich in the truest sense of the word, it can’t only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people’s lives.” ~ T. Harv Eker – And gratefully allowing others to add value to your life without placing too many expectations on them.
“Don’t talk about yourself; it will be done when you leave.” ~ Wilson Mizner – Let your ( hopefully positive) actions do your talking for you.
“The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.” ~ Criss Jami – If you succeed at anything, the most impressive thing you can say about it is absolutely nothing. Trust me, the word will get out soon enough.
“The “20/40/60” rule to happiness:
At age 20, people care very much about what others think of them.
By age 40, they learn not to worry what others think.
By age 60, they figure out that no one was thinking about them in the first place.” ~ Daniel Amen – Amen to Amen. I will be 60 in 3 short years, but I can already see the whole picture he illustrated here.
“Don’t let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn’t go with it.” ~ Colin Powell – Helping others succeed is the most satisfying way to become a success.
“You are not one person, but three: The one you think you are; The one others think you are; The one you really are.” ~ Sathya Sai Baba – If you can merge all three of your selves into one true self, you will be well on your way to peace and happiness.
“In the most ordinary terms, egolessness is a flexible identity. It manifests as inquisitiveness , as adaptability, as humor, as playfulness. It is our capacity to relax with not knowing, not figuring everything out, with not being at all sure who we are, or who anyone else is, either.” ~ Pema Chodron – You can’t and won’t figure it all out, and that is fine. Just keep loving, laughing, learning and living.
“Hard work is painful when life is devoid of purpose. But when you live for something greater than yourself and the gratification of your own ego, then hard work becomes a labor of love.” ~ Steve Pavlina – Find your ‘greater’ purpose which adds value to others and any associated hard work will be easy as pie. Give up too early on discovering your reason for being here and your life will be an endless and meaningless slog.
“Misery nourishes your ego – that’s why you see so many miserable people in the world. The basic, central point is the ego.” ~ Rajneesh – Misery is ‘me-centered’. Cut off enough people from your life, and soon the only miserable bastard left will be the one in the mirror.
“Male egos require constant stroking. Every task is an achievement, every success epic. That is why women cook, but men are chefs: we make cheese on toast, they produce pain de fromage.” ~ Belle de Jour – I do agree that men tend to have more fragile egos than women, but ego is still a problem for us all.
“But marriage goes in waves. You’ve got to be patient. People bail and give up on their marriages way too early. They just don’t put the work and the effort into it. You’ve got to suck up your ego a lot of times, because that can be a big downfall.” ~ Anna Benson – Family relations work the same way. Give first, receive second.