Path to Success

“They did it.” “It’s their fault.” “The banks caused the downfall. It’s all the greed on Wall Street.”

No. It’s not ‘they’ or ‘them.’ It’s not the greed of ‘the banks’ or ‘the people’ on Wall Street. No. It all boils down to ‘little me.’

‘Me, my, and mine’ are the root of the problem. In other words, it’s an ‘ego’ thing.

Everyone wants to blame someone or something for their problems, but the simple truth is that “We are the problem; we are the solution.” To fully understand this, you need to turn little ‘me’ upside down.

You (and I) need to get out of our comfort zone. It is time to stop placating ourselves. It is time to look within and recognize that ‘we are in our own way.’ To get our self out of the way means to remove our ego from the mind. As long as the ego-infection remains, that long we remain in desperation.

Our ego is made-up of images—mental superimpositions, unrealistic expectations, and selfish motives. Who created ego? We created ego—each and every one of us is the maker of our own fate. If we are a fatalist, it is our own ego that makes us so. We can be positive or we can be negative. We can be realistic or unrealistic. We can be happy or we can be in our ego. It is our choice, and each of us is the sum total of the choices we have made.

Things may be really messed-up, but it doesn’t mean we have to let what’s going on outside get inside of us. The mind is inside, and what goes on outside is also going on inside, but only if we are in our ego—in other words, only if we are identified with it.

Ego is the identification of consciousness (awareness) with the mind and body. The identification occurs naturally due to our association with them. We (conscious beings) are identified with the mind and body because of our association with the world of mind (subtle matter) and matter (gross matter). This sets the stage for the Drama of Existence, the Sport of Life.

As living beings (embodied consciousness) we are engaged in the Game of Life for the purpose of experiencing (expressing) our Essence. This is what it’s all about. It’s not all about getting rich or becoming famous or important. The real aim of our existence is to manifest our Real Nature through the Art of Life. We are the most creative when we are the most egoless. Hence, it is essential that we reduce and ultimately eliminate our own ego. This is our real work, and it requires effort and persistence. Those who prevail ultimately succeed in perfecting their nature. This is the real success.

Our success is not dependent on anyone else but ourselves. Our success is not hampered by ‘they’ or ‘them’—it is hindered only by the presence of our own ego. The recognition of this fact is the first step on the pathway of true success.