UPBUILDING THE SELF

THE TWO SIDES OF
WORKING ON YOURSELF

In order to be our best selves and get to the root of who we are, we need to take both an “outside-in” and “inside-out” approach. In this episode, Hari and Michael dive into Hari’s inspiration and key insights from his piece, The Two Sides of Working on Yourself. They explore how a superiority complex comes from the same place as an inferiority complex, the costs of working on the ego without working on the self (and vice-versa), and the challenges that we experience when working on each. Hari also shares four key steps in working on the ego and the critical practices to work on the self.

Podcast Hosts: Michael & Hari Prasada

Highlights

  • [1:40] Hari Prasada’s inspiration for writing the piece, The Two Sides of Working on Yourself

  • [3:00] What is the ego and what is the self?

  • [11:10] If You Think You Are Self-Aware, You Are Not

  • [11:20] The four steps to working on our egos

  • [18:00] Michael’s list of more than 100 embarrassing ways that his ego shows up

  • [22:00] The Beggar - Bhakti Tirtha Swami and the impetus to be free

  • [23:20] What is important about working on the self?

  • [25:40] The cost of working on the ego but not on the self

  • [31:00] How receiving validation can be beneficial in working on the ego

  • [33:20] The temptation to neglect the ego work

  • [38:40] Spiritual bypass

  • [40:40] Practices to work on the self

  • [43:30] Michael’s experience with mantra meditation

  • [46:50] The garden metaphor

Quotes

  • “If we want to be our best self, we have to see what’s getting in the way.” -Hari Prasada

  • “The inferiority complex is just the superiority complex negated. It’s just the flipside of the same coin.” -Hari Prasada

  • “The ego is always a blocker to the truth, to who I really am deep down, and how I can be my best for others.” -Hari Prasada

  • “The ego does not like us to work on our souls…because it’s such a threat to everything that it wants and needs in order to continue to exist as it is.” -Michael

  • “The greatest disservice to the self is doing things out of ego in the name of the self.” -Hari Prasada

For first timers, welcome to Upbuilding the Self

About the podcast: Two former monks, a former startup founder and CEO, and a former equity derivatives trader dive into how to be our best selves, free from the ego. Our egos are the identities we create for ourselves and wish the world to validate, but when we are not seen as we want to be, we feel insecure. This podcast lives at the intersection of leadership and spirituality. It will help you understand your ego and shed light on your inner world so that you can act with greater clarity, compassion, and the freedom to be your best self.