Driven By My Soul Or My Ego?

Illustration by Aliya Torsekar

How do I define “soul living?” Soul living is when one has successfully cleared the path, does not listen to the voice of others, and lives a life that brings pure joy. When I am soul-living, there is a spark that erupts inside. It is a spark that does not exhaust me. Instead of draining my energy, it fills you up.

Soul living is not simply giving every part of myself to others. It is also about giving to me. What makes me happy? If my happiness is based on another human being, then I am not soul living. I can love others profoundly, but that love should not drive my being or self-worth.

What should guide one’s being is their soul. What does my soul desire? If I erase the worry, the anxiety, the turmoil around me, what on this planet would bring me pure joy and fulfillment?

When my life is driven by ego, I am not soul living. I am “ego living.” I am consumed by the behaviors, actions, and thoughts of others around me. My ego is present to protect me from facing myself from within. The ego is a block to the true self. The ego is a wall that will keep appearing if old wounds are not dealt with. Burying an old wound does not make it go away. It makes it reappear in a greater, more powerful form each time. When consumed with my ego, I attempt to control and exert power over others to reinforce myself. Bringing others down brings our insecure beings artificially and temporarily up. I may be unfulfilled and carry limited, simplistic beliefs about the universe and the world around me. I remain in the physical world without capitalizing on a free ticket to the spiritual world. My ideas are solely driven by statistics, perceived facts, and the opinions of those around me.

Are you soul living or ego living?