Ego vs. Intuition

When we form perspectives about different matters of life, or we have to make decisions, calculations, and judgments, we get to deal with different realities: Ego and Intuition are two main influences on our realities. While it is true, a person might choose to pick one form over the other, whether consciously or subconsciously, it is important to know that both have different consequences. If you want more positive, more fruitful consequences to your actions in your life, it is important to educate yourself about ego and intuition – you will get to know which one has a major role in your life and what you can do about it.

Click here: If you are more curious about the difference between ego vs higher self.

What is Ego?

Ego revolves around our thoughts – the beliefs that we construct in our lives from childhood till age 7, or around when our brain is undergoing development. Ego is how we identify ourselves, how we put the “I” in life. When we see everything as a consequence of our formed perspectives and thoughts, we harness our own reality of life.

It is the voice going through our mind which is telling us to consider and reconsider our thoughts. We use ego as a tool to give meaning to everything that happens in our life. In fact, we use it to make decisions based on our thinking, we imply a thing, we refrain ourselves, and we consider different scenarios accordingly. When we give so much importance to ego, it becomes a way of life. We eventually become dependent on it, which is why it can be exhausting. In fact, we consider ego to be our reality which may keep us from living our best life. Although it acts as our friend, protecting us from the anticipated harms we may be afraid of having, it hampers real growth.

Implementing Ego in Our Life

In most cases, ego is implemented naturally because we humans, by default, are biased toward making our thoughts and experiences as reality. We can say that ego takes a central role in our lives. For example, a person might have developed a negative thought about making new friends from a bullying incident that took place in their childhood. They will create a perspective that staying away from friendships is the only way to protect yourself from bullying. While this might “protect” an individual from getting possible harm that they faced in their childhood, it is not true in reality.

There are various examples where we often unknowingly apply ego in our lives – in the mode of survival when we strive to be better than others or simply secure our position when faced with a threat; ego rises as the savior that helps us carry on. On a side note, ego is hugely impacted by our circle surrounding us. While we may have developed a strong ego for surviving in the physical world, those who are close to us have their influence in defining, or better say, honing our ego.

Also, read this Article on Self Perception

What is Intuition?

Intuition is, in simple words, a distillation from our experiences and encounters from the past and realizing that there is something bigger, more meaningful existing beyond the realms of the “I” in life. This is a way of showing how we can actually detach ourselves from our thoughts. While it seems we are cracking down our walls and putting ourselves in danger to face “realities,” the truth is that intuition expands our approach towards life, broadening our perspectives and making us realize the limitless possibilities attached to our life.

On a deeper note, intuition is connected with spirituality. As explained already, when we realize there is a bigger picture than our identity that makes us “us,” we get out of the debate of the self and dive into something more meaningful, more all-empowering, the universe and everything that exists in it, including us. This is important to realize as an action of an individual directly impacts all the others around it, and vice versa. The concept of interdependence thus originating from this idea further solidifies the strength of intuition.

Implementing Intuition in Our Life

Unlike ego, there is not a long list of examples of intuition to exist in everyday life. However, if you have an eye that looks for details and you are open to the idea of learning and unlearning, it will be pretty easy for you to spot intuition. What’s more, when you learn about the traits of ego and intuition, see different patterns, and learn their differences, it becomes second nature to apply intuition in our lives and see where it is being applied.

Rationalism and spirituality applied simultaneously in situations lead to the implementation of intuition. The example discussed above can be negated well by thoroughly rationalizing your thoughts about friendship, bullying, and their relationship. You will come to know that it is, in fact, not a causal relationship. Secondly, when you apply spirituality to the equation, or you are simply taking “bigger” things under consideration, you don’t look for saving your identity in the scene. Rather, you are looking for possibilities that will help the environment, the other people, and of course, you to prosper. In simple words, you put freedom into the equation and see your “hurting” as a part of the process rather than the only result you can anticipate.

How to Differentiate Ego and Intuition?

There are some important factors while differentiating ego and intuition. While it is not the scope of the blog to discuss all, we will look through the most important one – observe, not judge. We have to make sure that we see every situation with open eyes, including the third one, and really observe it with an incentive to differentiate the ego and intuition. We cannot take sides of one situation based on our personal preferences, or this judgment will only be feeding our ego. Instead, it is important to thoroughly practice the art of learning, unlearning, and relearning.

When we get acclimated to these skills, the next step is to make the diagnosis – whether it is ego or intuition. As mentioned, you can take the help of rationalism and spirituality and ask questions concerning these paradigms. Is situation A in accordance with a universal truth? Is situation A purely an isolated property, or am I making conclusions based on similar situations B and C from the past? Asking yourself questions like these with a mind that is open to learning and unlearning will help you to differentiate ego and intuition.

What’s more, you can make a mental note of the difference between the two that will help you see what is what:

EgoIntuition
It is subjectiveIt is the main objective
It is person-basedIt is principal-based
It protects the SelfIt exposes the Self
It is personalIt can be shared
It may defy realityIt does not defy reality
It may not be hurtful to the SelfIt targets the meaning rather than the Self
It is naturally convenient to applyIt takes conscious effort
It doesn’t question the thoughtsIt questions the universality and the truth of thoughts.
Differences between ego and intuition

Which is Better?

Before finalizing an answer, it is essential to know the implementation of both, which we have discussed in the article. Now, we know that the ego is helpful in protecting our identity, which we need to save in the physical world; to some extent, it is our only way of survival in the physical realm. We have been taught to work on the “ego” since childhood in order to create the identity with which we work in a society. However, it is almost natural to revolve around it since its convenience and the sense of security it gives us. This is where things get in bad shape, and instead of truly living our lives, we become a product of our ego-driven nature by our thoughts.

On a better scale, intuition comes as a better, perhaps, a sincere friend to us. While it exposes us to truths we don’t want to hear and keeps us out of our comfort zones; it helps us to give way to growth and prosperity in our life. Based on the principle of interdependence, we build a proactive approach in which we have a Win/Win mindset. This ultimately creates room for better things, and everyone moves forward in such an environment.

Take Away

Intuition and ego are two different ends of the same candle – the candle we hold in our hands to seek directions in life. However, differentiating them and understanding which is better of the two in a said situation requires an in-depth understanding, discipline, commitment, and a lot of practice. This article was an attempt to help you better understand the thin line that differentiates the two and what you can do to really make better development in your life. While it may sound challenging at first, with just a little push, you will be able to consciously balance the two in different scenarios in your life.

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