The ego mind looks to the past. It is a function of what already has occurred, and it simply cannot see how wonderful life can be in the future. It fights you because it knows when you open your heart and soul in faith, you surrender the ego mind.
It is the lack of surrender of the ego mind attachment to the disease that keeps you where you are. If you look at the end of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, you can see where I had to surrender my ego mind attachment to the disease to finish my recovery. “Dear God, I surrender my ego to you. I surrender my attachment to my Parkinson’s Disease to you. I am not afraid anymore….”
What was I afraid of? Everything! I was afraid of “what comes next.” Essentially, fear of life. Life presented too many opportunities to make a mistake, say the wrong thing, worry what others were thinking, etc.
My ego mind kept saying “stay where you are, it is miserable here, but at least you know what to expect each day. How can you trust that if you take the leap of faith that things will be better.” Fear, fear, and of course, FEAR! (False Evidence Appearing Real). That is the way of the ego mind.
It is why when I finally said, “Okay God, I surrender to you. Take me, all of me,” the “me” was my ego mind. The ego mind cannot create a future it has not seen. Since it cannot see the future like God can see the future, the ego mind keeps us locked up in fear of surrendering our future to God.
This makes no sense because God is in charge whether we surrender to God or not. The surrender of the ego mind opens the heart and soul to all of God’s graces and blessings of love, joy, gratitude, and yes, yes, yes…RECOVERY! Know it, and be it.
Surrendering the ego mind is not giving up your free will. Simply put, surrendering the ego mind is not trying to control everything by trying to impose your will over God’s will. It has to do with acceptance, surrender, and gratitude.
Acceptance. Surrender. Gratitude.
1. Acceptance. I accept what is happening in my life. God’s will.
2. Surrender. I surrender. Nobody owes me an explanation why whatever is happening in my life actually is happening. God’s will.
3. Gratitude. I am grateful for my life, so I am grateful for what is happening in my life. God’s will.
Combination of the three. “Thank you, God. I am grateful for my life, so I am grateful for what is happening in my life. I will take it from here.” Your free will. You decide what to do next, what solution is needed if any, where to take it from here.
Your recovery is inside you already. Use the word “I” to refer to your spirit, your soul. Have faith in God and help your soul grow in abundance to clean out the toxicity of the mind and body:
“I am better already. Thank you, God. I am grateful.”
Have these words on your lips and in your heart and soul at all times. They represent trust and faith in God, and they squash your ego mind into submission to God’s healing power.
2021…the year of faith!
FAITH!
Feeling Alive In The Heart!
Feeling Awake In The Heart!
Feeling Aware In The Heart!
You can do this.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Note: In my next post, I will provide examples of how to take the Acceptance, Surrender, Gratitude way of living into your everyday life.
Also, our fellow warrior, Shazam, and his wife Evelyn, introduced me to a friend of theirs, Nancy Rhodes. Nancy has a YouTube page called Caregiver Success by Nancy the NP. Nancy was kind enough to interview me and post it on her YouTube page. Here is the interview:
Dear Howard,
Lovely to read about that ego-mind and how you dealt with that!
And oh so great to hear and see you talking about your story!
Really touching ! As if it threw a new light.
Thank you so much, Howard.
Much love
Alison
Thank you,
We’ll stay tuned
🌺🌺🌺
Many thanks, brilliant!!
Wow! Loved this interview. Thank you again for being that light that I need in my path. Blessings to you and everyone in this group.
Thank you, Howard, for helping us to have faith in our recovery. My ego mind tries everything in the book to keep me from progressing forward.
I so appreciate you and your belief in each one of us and our ability to recover. Blessings to all.
Dianna in Wyoming
Well, we’ve been here before, my friends, and each time Howard seems to improve on his message, though this time I must say I think he really nailed it!
The form this takes for me is a deep dread about my massive incompetence and the inevitable fallout that must surely ensue.
The solution to all this is to trust that this is all a bunch of BS my ego uses to maintain control, and to have faith in my capacity to throw the ego out.
Knowing the beast is a big part of the battle. Thanks, Howard, for describing it so well!
Regards to all,
Chris
Wow, great video. Praise the lord. You are a gift from God, Howard. Hope I meet you one day. Maybe if you come to Australia when the world settles I’ll take you sailing. Listening to the video confirmed a few things for me. 7 weeks into the recovery now and my neck and left shoulder are loosing up. I’m on the road to recovery and I can feel it. I had the hospital ring me twice wanting to put me on a Trial, but you must on be on medication for the $100 gift card. I’m not on medication, so I didn’t qualify lol 😆 I said I’m working at putting my Parkinson’s into recovery (remission), and the lady had a giggle.
Great insight Howard. These thoughts will help greatly in my daily meditations!
Respected Howard sir,
It is so true you pointed out. Our ego about past. Yesterday, I happened to see my old video of cultural program where I had performed a dance. It made me depressed about my present state. You opened my eyes by your blog. Surrender, Accept, and be grateful. So timely. Enjoyed your interview. Love and regards, Mona
Hi Howard, well done you my friend, you managed the time given beautifully by getting all your story included AND all the information that people need to help themselves. You are going to be a very busy bee me thinks. 😊
Big love to you and all the warriors old and new 😊.
Karen xx 💕
The blogs are always inspiring. But this interview went beyond inspiring on into awesome. I read the book, I do the Recipe and I am blessed with a wife who handles all this with grace. So the interview was a wonderful confirmation that I am on my way to winning. Something about hearing and seeing Howard deliver the message of fighting and winning, made the message even stronger.
Thank you. My gratitude abounds!
Thank you for sharing that wonderful interview Howard. It gives me faith that I can do this – we can do this. And some of us already have! So fighting Parkinson’s is among other things surrendering my ego who isn’t the real me anyway. It turns out that he’s a script – a program – an imposter who desperately doesn’t want to let go – doesn’t trust. I think this faith I need takes a leap – a great leap of surrendering my way to God and trusting his way. Here’s to opening up my heart, to really loving this life and those I find in it. And finally to recovery. Aaaaahhhhhh!
Love and blessings to all my fellow warriors.
Can there be a better publicist for fighting Parkinson’s than our articulate, telegenic and inspirational Howard? He didn’t waste a word in that interview and distilled the case for recovery into a nutshell. If I wasn’t already doing the Recipe, I would be doing it tout de suite. It reinforces the need to work on the soul as a priority and to forget about being judged. Damn right, Howard (in your blog): Life presents too many opportunities to make a mistake.
Howard that Interview was brilliant. It really helped to clarify a lot the concepts That you have talked about in the past. Thank you. I have been listening to it constantly over the last few days.
Love and blessings to you all
Thank you Howard! Brilliant post and exceptional capture of how you did it!!
Your gift to us is immeasurable and I am humbled by your relentless love!
Almost a year since I started the PD Recipe for Recovery. I know today that for first 7 or 8 months I did not get it :-(( and I am happy and grateful to say that my ego is shrinking!! …hopefully ego funeral to follow soon!! lol!
Much love,
Ola
“ego funeral”! I love it!!!
Great write up on ego and inspiring interview video, thank you.
You have inspired us to fight and win this battle.
God bless
Dear Howard, this is a great post about how the ego-mind works! To me, one of the most important to know what is needed to finish recovery. Thank you so much! With love, Rainer
Howard, it was great to get to speak with you on my YouTube channel Caregiver Success. You are an inspiration to all with PD.
For friends of Howard, there are many interesting videos I did to help you be an empowered caregiver to yourself and others. I am here to serve…