tion>
FEED YOUR SOUL, STARVE YOUR EGO
Your Path to Greatness
Bayu Purnomo
Copyright © 2013 bayu purnomo
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publisher.
The Publisher makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any commercial damages.
2013-02-15
Dedication
To the handful of individuals (both friends and family) that I shared this book with prior to publishing that were open minded about this project and supplied me with positive feedback which I took as encouragement to continue on, and to the person I fell so hard and fast for that ultimately set me on the path leading to my immeasurable growth within.
Introduction
“Feed your soul, starve your ego”, is the product of my attempt to rewire my state of mind, and perspective on life. It came to me while reading The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra. This was the third or fourth book I turned to in recent months to try and regain my mental and emotional strength. I had hit one of those ego crushing moments in life when nothing I had planned or worked for was present in my life. I had several part-time jobs (that didn’t come close to paying the bills) but no career, and I had an enormous amount of passion but no one or thing to direct it towards. There was a void within me, and what I did have in me was unsettled. I began a quest to fill and settle myself. My nature had never included an enjoyment for reading; I have always been much more drawn to physical activities but with my circumstances the way they were books were my best option to explore what was within me. An extended vacation or hiatus from work was certainly out of the question with debt quickly adding up and my employment status well into the underemployed realm.
So my search started in the book store, with no idea what I was looking for. I just roamed the shelves taking in titles until something caught my eye. The few books prior to reading The Book of Secrets had been books on meditation, finding peace, being mindful of each moment, and obtaining enlightenment. After completing The Book of Secrets I moved onto The Secret written by Rhonda Byrne, a book recommended to me by a friend. I had looked over reviews of the book online and for every positive review it received it also received a negative one. Needless to say I began reading The Secret with some skepticism. In the end I felt it was a worthwhile read and it had many similarities to The Book of Secrets. I believe they essentially had the same message however for me personally Chopra’s method of delivering the message was much more powerful.
I continued on my path of seeking a state of mind, perspective, or belief system that would maximize my happiness and success. Eventually my reading just became habit. I was searching for my next book while still a week or two away from finishing the one I was on. Eventually another book was recommended to me by another friend; Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I had passed by this book more than a few times in the book store and even had it in my hand once and ultimately put it back on the shelf. But after this book was presented to me again I figured I shouldn’t ignore the hint from the universe. Following this book I read Cash in a Flash coauthored by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. These two books had many similarities with each other as well, but more exciting to me was the fact that they were also in tune with the spiritual based books I had read. This gave the message I had taken away from my reading (to feed my soul, and starve my ego) more weight because it also was in tune with books on how to be happy, healthy, and successful.
My writing originally was just for myself. I was compiling ideas, methods, and perspectives on life, which I felt would suit me best and get me out of my seemingly endless struggle of balancing the necessities of life (work and money) and the joys of life (friends, family, and romance). It would serve as my own reference to provide me with guidance when I felt I was veering off course. It was my attempt to condense all that I had read under a single concept. The overwhelming theme to all the books I read was that what I or what we as humans search for was not out in the world some place, but within us: that if we could connect or reconnect with this piece of us as Deepak Chopra sees it, we would end this searching (suffering) and the world would become our playground.
If you’ve opted to read this book you’re likely searching for something yourself, maybe something you haven’t quite defined yet. Or maybe you too have acknowledged that your outlook on life, and the expectations you tend to set are causing you pain and suffering instead of contributing to your success and happiness. I believe strongly that this message will serve you well but please also understand that I am in no way writing this book from the perspective of an expert that has mastered life and all obstacles it tends to present. My writing is the result of observations I’ve made of others, my own experiences in life, and even more so searching for the wisdom within me. My journey is far from over, I will surely have many more struggles before me but I also have recognized a significant improvement in my ability to see the opportunity in these struggles. This book is the product of my first conscious effort to maximize the input of my soul (what I believe to be our greatest source of wisdom and ultimately success) and minimize the input of my ego (what I believe to be our greatest source of self doubt in our pursuit of success and happiness). I hope my words speak to the essence of you (your soul) and you are able to tap into it to find your own greatness.
The Human Condition
When I use the phrase human condition I am referring to our general struggle as humans to find our place and purpose in this world before our physical existence on earth comes to an end. To find our place, and purpose is a large part to achieving greatness. To do this would be to create fullness in the heart and peace in the mind. Our work should provide us with a sense of fulfillment, and gratitude for the opportunity and ability to do the work we are doing. This work may not necessarily lead to great tangible riches but if it is truly our purpose we will have passion for it and with passion we cannot fail. Passion, (true passion) comes from the soul and our soul should be our compass. When someone feels as though they don’t belong and that their daily activity at work and with friends and family does not make use of their unique abilities as an individual, then they inevitably will feel a sense of emptiness and uncertainty about the use of their time; their life. I believe we all search for this feeling of fulfillment and gratitude, some search consciously and others subconsciously.
When I refer to place I mean both where we physically exist, for instance feeling “at home” as well as where we exist within others. The later portion being of greater importance because being “at home” is not being at a specific coordinate on the globe but rather a state of mind and emotion. A state of mind that believes where we are physically is a place that we can do good things for ourselves and others, as well as experience good from others, accompanied by the feeling of being at peace and ease. Where you exist within others simply means, who you are to others; what your connection to them is. Are your friends, your friends out of convenience? Or because there is a true bond between you; similar beliefs, interest, habits and so on. Where do you think your closest friends place you in their own hearts and minds? It’s human nature to want to feel a bond with others, we are social beings and to ignore the importance of social interaction would be like ignoring our need for shelter. We may last without it for a while but eventually that lack of interaction will wear on us and deteriorate our overall well-being,
