5 Truths of Self-Excellence
- Self-satisfaction is not possible unless you pay attention to the needs of others. We have a duty to help people, places and ideas grow.
- Your obligations in this world lead you to your true self (calling). Fulfilling your duties will build the skills for your true work. Then your satisfaction will be stronger and steadier than the coming and going of a feeling of “happiness”.
- You cannot fulfill your true calling without working towards the best.
- You must adapt your ideals of excellence as you grow and learn.
- Helping to make the world a better place, and others in the world stronger, is a requirement for achieving your own excellence. You are not truly great if you have harmed others on your path to greatness.
You are not truly great if you have harmed others on your path to greatness.
Ambition Spectrum: mundane to esoteric
Self-love
Desire to enrich yourself, even at the expense of others. Self interest alone is not enough for self preservation. The extreme self interest would only exaggerate whatever circumstances we found ourselves in. We justify whatever actions we must take in the name of those circumstances. That is, the instinct is to blame others when things do not go our way. This paradox of self focus but outer blame means that nothing will be resolved. And chances are you won’t get what you want anyway. You may get the appearance of part of it, but without the satisfaction of having achieved your ambition.
Tribal love
Desire to care for and build up comfort of yourself, your family, your group, your community. Duty to your family, your spouse and your community can be taken to extreme. When you set your own group up as the most important, you have naturally created other groups that are less important. This imbalance means that no group can be fully comfortable, enlightened or can achieve or enjoy their goals.
Self-moral
Virtue for virtue’s sake. You want to think of yourself as a good person, and want to be seen as such by others. Without a real meaning behind it, you cannot elevate yourself or truly lift up the people you are trying to help.
Self-denial
Care for others above yourself. When you completely deny yourself so others can succeed, you create an imbalance that fuels resentment and creates more want on all sides. The people you give to don’t learn to care for themselves, and they most likely do not see the value in what you have done for them. You then become resentful that what you have offered has not been appreciated.
Self-Excellence
Desire to aim for the best, seeking to care equally for the self and others. Places self equal with others, not above or below.
The Self of Selfishness
Ambitions can be selfish or noble. They can be inner directed or outer directed. Love of excellence does not get rid of self love, but it can (if combined with a sense of purpose and duty) expand that love. Expand your awareness outside of yourself is the definition of enlightenment. Sharing with others is the only way to achieve ambitions and be able to enjoy them at the same time.