5 STEPS AND SKILLS CHEAT SHEET
STEPS:
Another Day Not In Trauma
(Awareness, Detachment, Name/Own and Claim, Insight, Transformation)
Skills:
Everyone Can Expand Into Core Being
(Explorer’s Mind, Choice Point, Enlightened Observer, Core Being)
Oh, The Places Your Ego Will Go
by Scott Kalechstein
Your ego will travel with you on this earth
And be your companion for worser or worse.
It pretends it’s your friend, your bestest amigo,
And it makes you feel guilty; that’s the job of the ego.
It has good judgment and will help you be strong
So it has to remind you you’ve done it all wrong.
You’re weak and you’re lazy and you can’t get a clue,
That’s the voice of the ego trying to motivate you.
Oh, the places you’ll go and the guilt trips you’ll travel
As the ego plays judge and bangs down on its gavel.
But you always can get some relief from your shame
By projecting it on to the others you’ll blame
For that is the ego at its beastiest best.
It nurses its grievances close to its chest;
It milks every upset for things to complain about
And turns molehills to mountains to put you in pain about.
No trust is a must, you must constantly worry;
No peace ‘til deceased, you must stay in a hurry.
Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll see
All through the lens of “What’s in it for me?”
For the ego believes there is something it lacks
And until it is found it won’t let you relax.
You’ve got to keep moving at speeds that are blinding,
Keep searching and searching but not really finding.
Perhaps you will find it in the next one you’ll date;
True love at first sight with a soul kind of mate.
It’s great for a while ‘til the egos take hold,
Cause when two halves combine they do not make a whole.
It’s hot at the start, but it will turn to cold
For when two halves collide they cannot make a whole.
So the ego moves on ever constantly striving,
Addicted to seeking and afraid of arriving.
You’re traveling fast at the speed of surviving
With fear in the driver’s seat doing the driving.
The joys of each moment go swishing on by
As the ego keeps reaching for pies in the sky,
Reaching and reaching with arms that are flailing,
And the ego loves giving you F for your failings.
Or perhaps you are on the fast track to success.
You’re constantly driven to be great, better, best!
You’re a mover, a shaker, a big time achiever.
You’re a real self-made man, a dazzling diva.
You’re rich and you’re famous and make quite a splash.
You’re on top of the world and you’re rolling in cash.
You drive the right car and you’ve married the right spouse.
Today you’re on Oprah, this evening the White House.
But at night insecurity pays you a call,
Cause you know anytime you could lose it all.
Your shrink says to rest and you spouse sure agrees.
Your doctor says, “Ulcers, take fourteen of these.”
You know you should slow it down sooner or later,
But your foot is just glued to that accelerator.
You ego consoles, “Well, at least we’re successful;
It’s a sign of success to be constantly stressful.
You’ve made it to prime time and everyone loves you.”
(But your self-esteem’s built on what others think of you)
One day when you’ve failed and succeeded enough
You witness your ego exposed in the buff,
And you realize without all its protective clothing
That the ego is simply a state of self-loathing.
And beyond that you find out the biggest of deals-
That you’ve dreamt up the ego; it’s not even real!
So for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health
You commit to the journey of loving yourself.
You take back the projections you placed upon other
And find through forgiveness real peace is discovered.
You realize the glory you searched for outside you
Is what you are made of and can’t be denied you.
So you give up your plans and your potions and pills
And you practice contentment and learn how to chill.
Your old superstitions have gone up in smoke.
(Like you can’t rest in peace until after you croak)
While resting in peacefulness you get inspired
To go out in the world with some newfound desires-
Desires that spring from your heart and your soul,
And wherever they take you you’re going there whole,
Cause your ego is now in the passenger seat.
It rolls down the window and takes in the treats.
You’re not in a hurry, you’re taking it slow
Cause the journey’s as rich as the places you’ll go.
Where you are going you don’t need to know
For the journey’s as rich as the places you’ll go.
Our Deepest Fear
by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”