Many people I talk with are interested in putting more energy into their spiritual lives, but feel limited by the constant drag on their attention from the world around them. Part of what we are struggling with is behavior that is based in cultural expectations. We are striving to keep up. We are feeding our egos.

Another word for ego is self-importance. It’s the me-first part of our selves that craves attention, admiration, and winning. It takes a lot of our energy to keep this fed.

It’s not that we don’t have a purpose, but who we think we are is not important compared with how we travel our spiritual journey. Most meditative practices encourage us to let go of fixating on our image and help us place ourselves in this larger context. When we put less attention on feeding our egos, we can free up that energy for more spiritual activity.