In Service Of Others
Our whole ego construct is around “i” (small “I”) “me” and “my.” The ego is so busy trying to survive and living in fear that it continues to create a world made up only of itself and its musings. J.R.R. Tolkien portrayed this part of us in the Golum character from his book, Lord of the Rings. This character is a frightening looking little man, shriveled up and shrinking by the moment as he continues to obsess about gaining possession of the gold ring and walking around saying in a shrill, squeaky, small voice, “My little precious!” Where is my little precious?”
In my own life that looks like walking around protecting my thoughts, ideas, opinions, advice, actions, etc. and, while we’re much more sophisticated than Golum about how we appear, our ego is doing the very same thing – obsessing, manipulating and positioning for its version of the “ring” which could be: being right, looking good, owning stuff, being smart, intellectualizing, being successful, doing things perfectly, spiritualizing, etc. And our world is getting smaller by the moment because we have to spend our time protecting and defending all of the stuff above and that leaves no room for cultivating freedom which means living in wonder; being willing to not know; embracing the unknown and most importantly, creating what we really want with our hearts — which is always inclusive of “other” because we are the other and we are one (and, that’s just what the heart does).
The greatest way to move around my little “i” and generate possibilities in service of other or others is by going to my heart and asking what I really, really want from there! The second best way to get to the same place is to move from the place of what I want for others, for their sake, from my heart.
Therese Kienast, MCC, CPCC
Founder, Radical Leadership
