#427 – What will push you to bolt?"Never underestimate our inclination to bolt when we hurt."Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart.On Saturday, I attended my first Underearners Anonymous meeting. And boy, did I want to bolt.The "serenity prayer" (whic...
#427 – How else are you killing your prosperity?When a puppy's trapped, she's afraid. If someone gets closer to help her leg out of the trap, she'll growl and show her teeth. She thinks she's protecting herself, but she's only prolonging her str...
#426 – Ego, Ego on the wall, who's the smartest of them all?The Ghost of Need to Prove is a foundational part of the underearner's mindset.When we obey this Ghost's orders, at least 78% of our mind power goes into "proving" our knowledge, qualif...
#425 — How do you tell someone they have a problem?Thinking that you need to tell someone they have a problem is, within the category of contempt, the worst offender.Because, what, you think they don’t know? Are you that arrogant?I am—well, my Ego is...
#425 – Why does transparency make your Ego cringe?Reflecting on how I've told my son things in recent weeks, I realized I'd been "violent" (not "nonviolent") in my communication. Nonviolent communication is based on the idea that you say what's going...
#424 – How do you relate to "I want?"Until yesterday, I had no idea I was a compulsive eater. Listening to Geneen Roth's Women, Food, and God, I learned I am one. Of the "restricter" type, specifically.I love lists, rules, regimens (in fact, the...
#423 – What's the true intention of your compulsive helpfulness?I used to be that person: as soon as I landed somewhere, I started "fixing" the place. From inventing better solutions for the daily problems faced, to bringing food to the office,...
#422 – What happens when your fear is justified?Ego-driven fear, I've maintained, is never justified. What about fear of real death?Yesterday I had a weight-lifting accident. I was doing squats with a 45-pound barbell, and two 25 pound-plates. D...
#421 – How can a hyperactive Ego stop you from bold action?Richard Dawkins’s selfish gene theory (1976) says your genes don’t really care about you. They care about staying alive through you. You’re just their vehicle.Your genes p...
#420 – What about inner peace sends your Ego into a spin?Inner peace sounds like a great place to be. Yet your Ego hates it: your peace threatens its very existence.I discovered it yesterday, as I dragged my feet to my morning meditation, which I end...