Note: There are a few changes in Thought~Byte postings:
a) Instead of being posted Wednesday at 12:01 am (9 pm Tues my time), Bytes will be posted some time during Wednesday.
b) I am reposting the early Bytes (which few saw and which were published as images not articles.) For a while, every Wednesday will be one new Byte and one older Byte until we get them all in article format on Thought~Bytes
Thus, today I am posting No. 107 and No. 1.
If this confuses you, read No. 107. That might confuse you even more. :)
I agree - reminds me of Tantalus in the Underworld - we limit ourselves in order to either keep contol (or the semblance thereof) or to let us compare ourselves to others and feel better about ourselves. Very seldom do we venture out past our comfort zone unless we are trying to prove something to someone else. I remember kids in school that I both attended as a classmate and as students I taught - "what grade do I need to make on the final to keep my 'c'?" Never asked what they needed for a 'b' or an 'a' but what they could squeeze by to keep a 'c' was their whole concern.
Wow, Donna, you said a mouthful (that's a good thing).
You are right on about the control or semblance thereof issue.
Your second points raises another important limitation, the "grade" we give ourselves when we are 3 or 4, and then expend energy the rest of our lives trying to maintain that self-esteem position.
I agree with that 100% I have always been one to not only say but actually believe that you can do anything you put your mind too. Plus I am stubborn as a bull and don't accpet failure at least with myself. I keep plugging alon until I acive what I set out to do.
The ego as a heavy stone: this can be true, of course. A negative drag. But have you seen some of those contestants on American Idol (lucky you if you haven't!)? Their egos are like enormous helium balloons. It's not their egos that are the rock holding them back, it's another aspect of their 'you', their lack of talent.
I can agree with this.... I also think a good one might be( from a mind/mental point of view) a "chain" of those people straped to your ankle..you know the NAY sayers, the doubters, the with good intentions....ect...who constantly attach themsleves....the ones who want to be part of the success of it all....but don't want to take part in the effort....
one of my favorite parables in the bible....is that of the king paying what was "due" a plate was held out...as he dropped coins onto it....the sound of the coins...was for those who stood by and grunted and groaned... the coins went to those who actually did the work.... it should be so in this day and age....we are experiencing the out come of of the opposite in our nation right now....
Ego comes in such subtle forms and hardly identified until the drag reminds us. I think it will be our life's work to identify and let go, identify and let go....Great bite John.
I agree Tanya we do all become attached to our "albatrosses" Sometimes it is the only way we feel anything. Ego is a double edged blade it can serve you well or cut you deep. The important thing to learn is how to use it to your advantage. To have belief in ones own abilities is a good thing unless you forget that you are just one piece of the whole picture!
Katherine raises another facet of this Byte. I'd modify it slightly and say "sometimes it is the only way we think we can feel anything."
Again, the term ego is sort of a problem because it has so many definitions. The flip side of that is there are that many more lessons we can learn when we ponder that word.
So, if we don't worry about what is the "right" answer, and enjoy our own personal insights, we're way ahead of the game.
Someone once told me not to put limits on myself because society will do that for me. A big stumbling block to achievment is fear of failure, yet failures are the stepping stones to success.
I guess that this is saying that you can't let your ego weigh you down. Only you can achieve your own success. No one can do it for you. So stop fighting an uphill battle with yourself and let your ego go.
There is a saying, and I'm sure you've heard it: "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. Either way you're right." That's what came to my mind when I read this and I thank you for the reminder.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 132
a) Instead of being posted Wednesday at 12:01 am (9 pm Tues my time), Bytes will be posted some time during Wednesday.
b) I am reposting the early Bytes (which few saw and which were published as images not articles.)
For a while, every Wednesday will be one new Byte and one older Byte until we get them all in article format on Thought~Bytes
Thus, today I am posting No. 107 and No. 1.
If this confuses you, read No. 107. That might confuse you even more. :)
Too bad it doesn't listen.
You are right on about the control or semblance thereof issue.
Your second points raises another important limitation, the "grade" we give ourselves when we are 3 or 4, and then expend energy the rest of our lives trying to maintain that self-esteem position.
Man is he a handful. Phew
And so much easier if one doesn't have to drag their ego with them as they accomplish their goals.
Thanks.
(Love the bow).
May you have a great day and your keyboard as well.
some people... thats not a rope.. it's a stick and the bugger is PUSHING!
I have seen that variation as well.
Ego means a lot of things. Here it is used in the sense of ego-mind. Good performers are being helped by something else:
Confidence for some
Fear for others.
I also think a good one might be( from a mind/mental point of view) a "chain" of those people straped to your ankle..you know the NAY sayers, the doubters, the with good intentions....ect...who constantly attach themsleves....the ones who want to be part of the success of it all....but don't want to take part in the effort....
one of my favorite parables in the bible....is that of the king paying what was "due"
a plate was held out...as he dropped coins onto it....the sound of the coins...was for those who stood by and grunted and groaned...
the coins went to those who actually did the work....
it should be so in this day and age....we are experiencing the out come of of the opposite in our nation right now....
Thought~Bytes are never intended as jokes. The drawings are designed to make the thoughts more palatable and, usually, add another facet to the words.
The cardinal rule is: get what you get and take what you got.
And a nice connection to today's economic structure.
Thanks.
(Though some people use their kids for that. Sad but true.)
It is "life's work to identify and let go"
and it doesn't take a lifetime.
(Dang! I don't know why I didn't think of that. Too much hmmmmming on the other Byte).)
Did that work when you hadn't done your fifth grade homework?
You can always let go.
I agree that physical problems can limit what you can do but they cannot limit you — only you can do that.
(Shouldn't a bird that gets so much press have a fancier plural, such as albatroi? :)
Again, the term ego is sort of a problem because it has so many definitions. The flip side of that is there are that many more lessons we can learn when we ponder that word.
So, if we don't worry about what is the "right" answer, and enjoy our own personal insights, we're way ahead of the game.
A big stumbling block to achievment is fear of failure, yet failures are the stepping stones to success.
And you're absolutely right about failures.
Evil twins do better on their own.
(Most egos are operated in a slightly to severely damaged condition.)
I know I have.
Nothing personal.
LET GO OF THE ROPE!!!
(They don't make college professors the way they used to.)
Only you can achieve your own success. No one can do it for you. So stop fighting an uphill battle with yourself and let your ego go.
Thanks.
Lucky kids.
Sometimes it takes years.
never mind I'll come back less fuzzy....
Just click on this: Life is Fuzzy