Holding Space Without Ego

As a wife, mother and a holistic therapist, I’ve joined many online groups and pages over the years. Why?… Because I love to learn and expand my knowledge. And in doing so, I hope that I can help others and maybe make a small difference along the way.

I’ve also spent a lot of time studying and training, yet I still wouldn’t consider myself an expert. I feel that learning never stops, and there will always be someone wiser or more experienced to learn from, bringing us the opportunity to grow, to deepen our understanding, and to see things from a new or different perspective.

However, recently I’ve been noticing what feels like an increasing number of people who firmly believe that their way, or their opinion, is the only one that is right or matters. And that really saddens me.

It saddens me because in life, there’s rarely a one size fits all, and what supports one person may not support another, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It simply means we need different things, after all we’re not all the same.

And here is the main point of this blog …

There was a time in each of our lives when we didn’t hold the knowledge or understanding that we do now. A time when we were at the very beginning of our own journey, still trying to figure things out, find our way and form our beliefs.

As we move through life, we grow, we gather experiences, insights, and perspectives that naturally shape us, and how we see and connect with the world. Many of us have changed our minds time and again, about things we once believed wholeheartedly, not because we were wrong, but because we evolved!

Growth, and healing,often asks for us to be curious, flexible, open, and willing to listen, to try new things and explore new possibilities. Especially when we are faced with perspectives that might differ from our own. And holding space for a different opinion and level of understanding doesn’t weaken our own knowledge, it actually deepens it.

There are many people across different social platforms and in day to day connections that offer their wisdom daily without ego, without the need to be right, admired or put on a pedestal, allowing others the freedom to receive and take from it what they want or need to in that moment. Often, this comes from a positive place, with the intention to help one another, and to contribute in some small way, to build a positive future for everyone.

Yet sadly, there are also moments when that wisdom is met with disagreement, and a conversation can quickly turn into a heated debate. In those moments, something shifts. And what began as an offering with good intent to benefit others, can become overshadowed by defensiveness, anger, or the need to be seen as more knowledgeable, rather than simply sharing for the sake of helping or teaching.

Sometimes this can happen because someone feels so passionate about the subject. However, when the focus moves towards proving a point, it can lessen the power of the original message, because it actually redirects the conversation towards ego and the need to be right.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is this, why can’t we just offer the wisdom we’ve gathered and allow others to take what resonates, while accepting that what speaks to one person may not speak to another? We all have different ways of seeing and doing things and that’s okay!

And if you find yourself reading or listening to something that doesn’t align with where you are right now, that’s okay too. You can just simply move past it, without the need for a debate.

I would really love to know your thoughts on this, and may we all continue to grow, share, and listen, with openness and compassion, while being able to honour our own journey, and respecting the journeys of others.

Perhaps true wisdom is not found in being right, but in the ability to hold space without ego.

With warmth, love and light,

Liz Xx