Skip to content
The Warriors Way
  • Home
  • Find Training & Coaching
  • Community
  • Products
  • About
    • About
    • Trainers
    • Training Locations
    • History of Warrior’s Way
  • Blog
    • Arno’s Blog
    • Español
    • Português
    • Français
    • In the Media
  • Contact
Menu Close
  • Home
  • Find Training & Coaching
  • Community
  • Products
  • About
    • About
    • Trainers
    • Training Locations
    • History of Warrior’s Way
  • Blog
    • Arno’s Blog
    • Español
    • Português
    • Français
    • In the Media
  • Contact

Dethroning the Ego – Part 3 – Entitlement

Dethroning the Ego – Part 3 – Entitlement

  • Arno
  • July 3, 2016
  • 1:23 pm
https://warriorsway.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/eLesson_2016-0704.mp3

shield-417826_1920How many times have we failed on routes we expected to succeed on and then made excuses to justify why we failed? Perhaps it was a grade we’ve succeeded on many times. We felt entitled to succeed; so failing felt unfair.

–

The ego wants to succeed to support its sense of self-importance. It feels important when it achieves. Conversely, its importance is threatened when it doesn’t achieve. The ego will do whatever it can to protect its self-importance.

–

If we’re able to climb 5.11, then the ego feels entitled to continue to achieve 5.11s. If we fall on a 5.11, the ego will justify its failure by making excuses. Excuses such as: “I would have climbed it, but my foot slipped.” “I would have succeeded, but the belayer short-roped me.” “I could have climbed it, but I was too pumped to continue.”

–

These statements could all be true: our foot slipped, the belayer short-roped us, we were too pumped. However, excuses protect the ego and shift our attention to what the ego prefers the situation to be, instead of what it actually is. Instead of protecting the ego with excuses, we must dethrone it.

–

The ego’s excuses interfere with the learning process and how we use our attention. They cover the relevant information needed for learning, like a veil hiding a jewel. Thus, the ego protects itself by focusing our attention on the veil instead of the jewel. It feels entitled to the jewel—the learning—while resisting the work necessary to earn it.

–

To move beyond the ego’s sense of entitlement, we change our expectations. Don’t expect to succeed; expect to exert effort. Exerting effort helps us remove the veil so we can do work to earn the jewel. We remove excuses to reveal the learning opportunity. We do this in three steps:

  1. Observe the mind distracting our attention
  2. Identify why we fell
  3. Do things differently next time we climb

–

First, we observe the mind. We realize the ego focuses on achievement, distracting our attention toward what it prefers the situation to be, instead of seeing the situation as it is. Therefore, we observe ourselves making excuses about why we fell and stop that behavior.

–

Second, there were reasons why we fell. What were they? What thoughts were in the mind when we fell? We need to be objective so we can see the situation as it is. We describe what occurred to identify specific information that caused the fall. Perhaps a foot slipped, the belayer short-roped us, or we had a thought that we were too pumped to continue climbing, as we outlined earlier.

–

Third, we incorporate the new information into our strategy for the next effort. We focus our attention on modifying our plan to test the new information we discovered. If our foot slipped, then we place our foot more precisely. If the belayer short-roped us, then we instruct the belayer how to feed slack appropriately. If the mind has thoughts about being too pumped, then we ignore them and continue climbing (in yes-fall zones). These three steps help us become aware of the ego’s desire to protect itself with excuses, collect accurate information about improving our performance, and test that information.

–

There’s no need to dwell on routes being unfair, which feed the ego’s sense of entitlement. If we feel the need to discuss “fairness” of a route’s grade, then we do it simply to learn how to develop our strategy for climbing.

–

We take control of the situation by dethroning the ego’s sense of entitlement. We reveal the jewel—the learning opportunity—by removing the ego’s veil of excuses. We do this by changing our expectations. Instead of expecting to do a climb; we expect to exert effort.

–
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Google+
Share on LinkedIn

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Greg Leach 4 Jul 2016 Reply

    Thank you for sharing another pearl. Happy Fourth of July to you and your family. Travel well, Greg.

  2. Robert Maffei 4 Jul 2016 Reply

    Nice post on a day when many think about their entitlements, and forget about those people and ideas that got us this far….I continue to learn! Thanks Arno…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

PrevPreviousDestronando o Ego – Parte 3 – O direito
NextDestronar al ego – Parte 3 – DerechoNext

The Rock Warrior's Way Book

the-rock-warriors-way-book
BUY NOW

Online Mental Training Course

DISCOVER MORE

Personalized Coaching

Free Consultation Call

Upcoming Events

Denver Mountain Guiding – Clear Creek Canyon – Falling & Commitment – Sport Camp

New River Mountain Guides – Falling & Commitment – Sport Camp

Mouskif.ch – Chablais – Falling & Commitment – Sport Camp

Climb Catalunya – Falling & Commitment – Sport Camp

Denver Mountain Guiding – Clear Creek Canyon – Falling & Commitment – Sport Camp

Join The Warrior's Way Community

Our goal is to create an engaging mental training community that empowers, supports, and challenges our participants to learn new ways to meet life’s challenges.

Learn More

Recent Posts

The Rock Warrior’s Way Book

Espresso Lessons Book

Action Card

Purchase Information

Book Translations

Featured In
Logo_Climbing Magazine
Logo_Rock-and-Ice
Logo_Gripped
Logo_Training Beta
Logo_Enormocast
Logo_Klettern Mag-2
Logo_Escalando-mag
Logo_Desnivel-1
Logo_Versante Sud-1
Logo_KVCU Radio
Logo_Senders Game Podcast-1
Logo_Vertical Life mag-1
Recent Posts

How Well Can You Tell Fact From Opinion?

Practice Versus Application

Pratique versus Application

Connect
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Join Our eList
Email
  • info@warriorsway.com
  • arno@warriorsway.com
  • orders@warriorsway.com
Phone
  • 615-406-3404
Copyright 2022 – The Warrior’s Way