Oh how the mind likes to take us on merry go rounds, ferris wheels, roller coasters, and everywhere but where we need to go! Our mind can have up to 70,000 thoughts a day, which means aprroximately 50 thoughts per minute..now that's a lot of thinking if you ask me! Are you even aware or conscious of what you mostly think about? Are those thoughts positive, meaningful, mindless, sabotaging, reminiscent, productive or just WTF kind of thoughts?
And the ego is smart! The ego is all about self importance and worth, and it is here where our mind (ego) flickers between the conscious and unconscious states. The minute you start trying to control those thoughts, it becomes cheeky and runs away with a million other thoughts, and intensifies the ones you are currently having. Hence the name we sometimes call our ego the "chimp brain". It's just like when you begin meditation, a physical and metal preparation that occurs before you being. (this is a recollection of my personal experience of how I began meditating) You think to yourself I have my cushion, the candles are out, I've cleared the room to have space to sit and feel open and relaxed, switch the phone off so that nothing disturbs you, you sit down crossed legged, get comfortable, and you feel ready to begin. 5 seconds in and your mind goes bonkers, and you think to yourself "shutup", "stop thinking", "why has that person come into my memory now?", om. You really do have to laugh at these times. This is where you actually become aware of your thoughts and how busy it truly is...this is step one to gaining awareness. I can say that most people go through this initial phase, and over time and consistent practice the mind does become less dense and lighter. The frowning also doesn't happen as often. Now the ego is not something to take lightly. It has pride and has something to prove, after all it leads you with false sense of security through fear and control. So I say this to you... CHALLENGE YOUR EGO with love, with patience, with positive thoughts, compassion and kindness. The more it throws insults and past traumatic experiences your way, the more you say to it, "this is no longer who I am", "I am .......", and replace the negative with a positive. The best time to challenge your ego? Anytime..honestly! When you catch yourself talking yourself down, commenting on others in a negative manner, or comparing yourself to another's success...that is the time.