Are you guided by ego or spirit?

Consider this... when you do a kind deed, do you need to get credit for the action or do you take action simply because the task needed to get done?

Your initial reaction may be that you took action on something because it needed to get done. Yet, many people (on a hidden level) can't stand the thought of not being acknowledged for what they do in the name of "service.”

When we need to be acknowledged for every little thing we do, we tend to get less done. Why? Because we use energy to manipulate the situation to our ego's need for recognition rather than simply doing whatever needed to be done because it's the right thing to do.

What I'm referring to here are the little things we encounter day in and day out that require only a bit of our time. Things that are so minute many people don't realize there is great benefit to themselves and others if the task were done. And done with no public recognition.

Say, when we are walking in the parking lot of a grocery store, we see a shopping cart in a very precarious position that, with a little momentum (like a gust of wind), the cart will slam into someone's car. Lots of people choose to ignore what they see while others consciously take a few seconds to put the cart in its correct location — the cart holder.

Does moving the cart deserve recognition? Not really. Yet, there are some men and women who feel it their job to share how wonderful they were by moving the cart by retelling the story of what they did to whomever listens. Why is it so important for them to let others know? What would be missed if they simply kept their "good deed" to themselves and went about their business?

Imagine how much would get done if we didn't care who gets the credit?

This may seem a bit far-fetched, but think about it. How often do we, or others we know, do something that is rather insignificant yet we need to make sure others know it was done?

When one needs to be acknowledged for something like moving a shopping cart, picking up a piece of trash to place in a receptacle or getting an "atta boy" for helping a person in need, this is ego rather than spirit at work.

When we are in ego, we are not in spirit. Spirit (soul) needs no recognition; ego craves it. When we move in the space of "I am truly here to serve" in all we do, we are gifted with amazing experiences.

When service becomes deeply ingrained in our soul, we are called to serve in ways we can't even imagine until the moment arrives to serve in ways that  fill our spirit with so much gratitude we find great joy for simply being alive. Imagine how amazing this feels. The gift of service gives us the gift of joy, gratitude, fulfillment and happiness.

Want to have this experience? If yes, simply ask, "How may I serve?" You will find ample opportunities to do this, if you are open to them.

All we need to do is be aware of and with what is in front of us. We need not spend time thinking about what we may be called to do or who is going to get credit for helping. If we are in a place of service, what does it matter? Truth be told, it doesn't.

The truth is we WILL get so much more done if we don't care about credit, but we do what we do because it is the right thing to do. Simple as that.

Kathleen Gage works with spiritually aware speakers, authors, coaches and consultants who are ready to turn their knowledge into money making products and services.

Access Kathleen’s FREE eBook, Realize Your Worthiness for Success. Discover insights to success that give you the freedom to choose a life of joy, gratitude and purpose http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/worthiness_ebook.htm

What is your experience with a ego vs spirit driven life? Comments and retweets welceome.

Comments

[Julia Rogers Hamrick]

We are on the same wavelength for sure! I posted this to my Facebook Fan page this morning:

"Doing anything with the hope of being appreciated is asking for disappointment. Do it with Love and let the doing of it be the reward."

Letting go of the need for appreciation is my life lesson right now!

[Sandra Hendricks]

This is a wonderful post. I guess because it almost feels like I am getting credit for carts I have taken back into the store - ego talking? When we do something like take the cart in, or pick up the trash in the parking lot, we are actually being 100% selfish. When we do something for ourselves, we are 100% selfish - it makes us feel good about us. Selfish in these terms; we are 100% giving and need no other recognition. You can feel good about holding a door for someone else without expecting a Thank You. What you have described in this post Kathleen, to me, is the difference between self-centered and selfish.

[Lucky Balaraman]

Liked the post, Kathleen. But if you REALLY want to do something for no return, I'd like to suggest an enhancement...

If you embody a "Here to Serve" intent, you serve others because it makes you satisfied. In a way you are doing it for an emotional return (I agree that this return is overshadowed by the benefit enjoyed by society from your action).

If you are spirit, you should realize that you are different from your thoughts, and a silent, motionless witness to your thoughts and sensations.

You are a silent witness to your thought that you should move the cart; you are a silent witness to the thought that says soon after, "I have served." You are truly detached from your reactions to all your deeds, and therefore an emotional return cannot exist.

In the bargain you are in perfect peace (but that's another story...)

Cheers!

[Kathleen Gage]

Thank you for your insights Lucky. Very nicely put.