Post #120: The Number One Desire That Keeps You From Peace

Your number one DESIRE that keeps you from peace…

Your ego’s deep desire to be “special”.

If we want to be special then that means we want to be MORE special than someone else.  This unknowingly keeps you from peace, and it’s not your fault.

We were all trained from a very early age to compete to a certain degree. It’s engrained in us to try to be “better” than others. From comparing grades in grade school to choosing team members in P.E., we all learned to strive to do better.

Whether we’re competing with our grades, our looks, money, recognition, or even who’s life is the suckiest…the ego simply likes competition.

It doesn’t want to “let go” of the desire to compete.

Somewhere deep inside, we know the truth. We are perfect and special as God created us.

But as we build the ego-self and construct different self-images and labels for that ego-self, we bury the memory of our specialness as God created us.

Then we start driving ourselves to attain and maintain this specialness through our false ego-self.

We are always coming up short because our striving is based on the ego’s definition of specialness, and that is based on separation, competition, and the desire to be better than others.

This deep yearning for specialness can be downright addictive.

Desiring to be special is something we can all relate to. Most of us want to please somebody in our lives and make them proud. We want to be special in their eyes. The problem is, we usually do this at the cost of trying to be better and more special than someone else.

As long as we are striving to be “special” we are at the mercy of the ego, and when we come up short or no one is there to acknowledge us, we feel “down in the dumps”.

As long as we are working from our false ego-self we will put up a good fight for specialness because in our false ego-self, we don’t want to be equal/connected/one with each other. We want to be special.

What you are as your true self is the most perfect love, peace, and joy you can ever imagine. What the ego doesn’t like to hear is, so is everyone else.

How do we change our ways, especially when we really don’t want to?

Does this mean we quit our jobs or give up on “striving”? Not at all.

It means you utilize the practice of yoga to shift you into your soul-self so that you are living inspired by your soul rather than driven by the ego.

You will notice big changes in your relationships, your career, your life-work, and in every other area where you feel this desire for specialness come up.

There’s a plaque in the Cayman Islands on a beautiful beach that has one of my favorite quotes written on it:

“I sought my God, but God eluded me.

I sought my soul, but my soul I could not find.

I sought my brother, and I found all three.”
-Anonymous

We need each other to “wake-up”. So lay down your desire for specialness, and let your soul-self guide the way.

All my best,

Remember, you are a force for good in the world. The more consistent you get with these practices the more your life will become guided, sacred, and filled with meaning. You cannot help but then extend deep peace, joy, and contentment to your loved ones, friends, and everyone you meet. The world could use more of this, so let’s get you in the best space to make it happen.