Have you ever heard a little voice in your mind saying things to you like, “You’re no good. Who do you think you are? You’re never going to make it. You may as well stop trying. It’s never going to work.” What about, “He’s never going to love you, you’re not worthy of love. Why do you even bother trying to find love anymore? You’re going to be alone the rest of your life.” Where do you think that little voice comes from?
I’ll tell you. Meet the Ego Imp. He sits on your shoulder and whispers disempowering things in your ear. And you know what? You don’t have to listen to him. That’s right, you are under no contract, legal or otherwise, to sit there and listen to him ramble on incessantly about how horrible you are and how you’re just going to keep failing. You can shut him down.
“But, Erin, my Ego Imp has a megaphone. For a little guy he sure packs quite a wallop! How am I supposed to shut the little guy up?” Fear not! There are two steps to putting a muzzle on the Ego Imp.
First, you must become aware of when he’s talking to you. Should be obvious right? But it isn’t. The Ego Imp attacks you when your vibration is low, when you feel disconnected from love, when you’ve suffered a setback or emotional blow. And he’s insidious. He sounds like your own mind. He sounds like he’s making perfect sense. He appears to mirror exactly what you think your own self would say.
This is why it’s vital that you become aware of when the Ego Imp is whispering sweet nothings in your ear. You’ll recognize the thoughts because they are always disempowering, and they are not based in fact. The thoughts are based on conjecture alone. Are you REALLY never going to find love? Are you REALLY never going to make it in your chosen profession? No! That’s just speculation. These thoughts are just a conclusion drawn in a disempowering way designed to make you give up, feel bad, and take your ball and go home.
So the first step to stifling that Ego Imp is to become aware of when he’s talking to you. When you realize you’re having the disempowering thoughts, say, “Oh, I see you there, you little bugger. I know you’re whispering at me.” Seriously, that’s half the battle. The Ego Imp thrives on you not noticing when he’s talking to you. So shine a light on his impy ways and let him know that you know he’s there.
Now you’re ready to take him down. Get into position, bend your knees, find your center of gravity, and get ready to rumble! You’re about to do battle with your Ego Imp.
When he says, “You’re never going to find love,” you fire back with a more empowering thought; one that is just as accurate, if not more so. For example, “Oh yeah? I’m willing to wait for the right person and I’m not going to settle.” Score one for you.
Then the Ego Imp might say, “You’re nobody special.” So you counter with, “I’m unique, there’s no one else in the world like me. That right there means I’m special.” Burn! You: 2 Ego Imp: 0
Ego Imp is getting nervous, so he fires with, “You’re worthless. You can’t do anything right. You’re never going to succeed!” He’s sly, but you respond with, “I can think of at least 10 things that I CAN do right, and I will figure out how to put something together that is of value to others and run with it. I can’t be stopped unless I stop myself.”
Ego Imp is sweating now. His bullets are hitting Kevlar. He takes one final stab, “You’re not worthy of love!” Oh, ouch! Right below the belt. Ego Imp has hit a nerve, but you’re still standing and reply triumphantly with, “I was BORN worthy of love and that will never change no matter what happens!”
Game, set and match. Ego Imp slumps to the floor in defeat, waving his white flag in surrender. You’ve just shut down the Ego Imp. He’s completely depleted. He knows that no matter what he says to you, you can ALWAYS find a more empowering thought.
If you want, you can flick Ego Imp off your shoulder. Heck, stomp on him a couple of times if you’re in the mood. Then delete him and go on about your day.
The fact of the matter is that no one, not even yourself, can make you feel bad without your permission. You’re the one that lets the Ego Imp in, and you can escort him out just as easily. Once you do, you make way for more resourceful thoughts. You allow your mind to open to new possibilities. You can make new plans. It’s a good time to listen to your higher self, the one that knows your greatness already, the one that knows what you planned for yourself in this life, and wants to help you get it.
So there you have it… how to shut down the Ego Imp. Next time he clears his throat and gets ready to barrage you with disempowering thoughts you’re going to say, “Pfft, off with you, you little monster. You are not welcome on THIS shoulder!”
Winner and still champion: YOU!
