The unrelenting weather of “What Is” will always eventually erode the ego. That is, reality itself is built in a way that, over time, each conscious participant will naturally work their way through their fears to greater states of freedom, creativity, and love. That process may take a long time, or a short time, but the duration of time required is not hugely relevant: time-space itself is an invention.
The quality of your experience speaks to you about “how you are doing.” If your personal experience is one of peace and joy, you are following the natural way. If your personal experience is one of stress, pain, and suffering, you are often experiencing the counter-pressure necessary for you to grow. Anxiety, negative emotions, and stress are symptoms of having bought into perceptions or beliefs that are contrary to your true nature. Regardless of how much you believe the limited story you are telling yourself, and regardless of how much you blame others, you cannot escape the feedback that is your own personal experience.
The story of the ego is sometimes not one easily challenged, especially in the context of such a constraining universe as this one. But over time, that story does inevitably get challenged: beliefs that don’t seem right ask to be challenged; self-doubt that leads to pain demands to be challenged; our possessions and accomplishments do not ultimately satisfy us; hurtful action leads to retaliation; we fail to find fulfillment when our intentions are primarily selfish. Useful feedback abounds in our lives, if we are humble enough to listen.
Allow yourself then to acknowledge, and consciously play along with, the game of life! When your experience is positive, allow yourself to be fully present with it and thrive in it. When negative feedback arrives into your experience, allow it to reveal to you what needs to be healed. Always listen. Be willing to be shown. When your own stories are challenged, allow them to be. The erosion of the ego will happen one way or the other- this universe that you are committed to is made to facilitate it- so you might as well play along! When you do, and you surrender your deep need for control, you will find true freedom is waiting for you.
A Walk in the Physical 