The purpose of this course is to help you know and appreciate yourself more than ever before, and there’s a chance that as you progress, you will have more than one experience with the Ego Police. You should be warned and prepared for such encounters.
Ego Police are people who look for anyone rising above the dull, safe, comfortable norm and point out things like that “You have a pretty high opinion of yourself, don’t you?!” as if that were a bad thing.
Ego police pretend to defend against ego, aka: pride, selfishness, and vanity. In reality, they’re afraid of standing out from the crowd and rising above the norm. They’ve bought into the sort of peer pressure that values conformity and being just like everyone else rather than taking a risk and experiencing authenticity, vulnerability, and the kind of excellence and joy that can only happen when you let yourself transcend such smallness and be real.
So if you’re on the road to discovering and enjoying your complete, awesome self, be prepared. Practice saying and believing responses like:
- “You have a pretty high opinion of yourself, don’t you?” I should certainly hope so! Everyone has a right to feel good about and love themselves, and the world would be a much better place if they did!
- “Do you think you’re better than us?” You can be whoever you choose. I’m going to be my best self.
- “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.” Well, I’m trying my best to change for the better. If you want to join me for the journey, that’s great, and if not…that’s your choice and I’ll see you later.
Sometimes Ego Police officers can be extremely manipulative and condescending as a way to make others feel small and cement their power, but Ego Police have no power if you dismiss or sidestep their demands.
In extreme cases, one of the best defenses is to simply laugh at them and maybe say, “Whatever. Your way sucks and I want nothing to do with it.” Or, if you prefer less confrontation, “Whatever. Your way doesn’t appeal to me at all, so I’ll walk my own path, thank you very much.”
