The people of Bali live in a culture of family, prayer and work. They are the happiest people I have ever been around, regardless of what’s in their pockets.

The parents aspire to create a better life for their children, and the young men and women I meet who work at the hotels learning the hospitality industry, aspire to have some of what they see every day in the lifestyle of all the Westerners who visit their island. And they do this, live, work and pursue their dreams while keeping their egos in check. When we visit Bali and stay at beautiful home stays and hotels, and pay attention, we can learn this life altering lesson.

Letting go of our egos is probably the most powerful and important step in living life at a higher level of consciousness.

In America, Western European culture, most of us are brought up with the idea of right and wrong. In terms of our morality and ethical values, right and wrong plays a big part. As we grow from toddlers to teens and young adults we carry that power of our ego with us.

Ego is important. It protects us from all kinds of negative and dangerous situations. But our ego can also be our own worst enemy. That happens when the need to be right in a situation overtakes the higher path of just letting go.

In Bali, love over takes the ego. It’s everywhere. The Indonesian people want to make you happy. They are non-confrontational.  You could be smoking under the no smoking sign, and the staff will still smile as they walk past. But first they will say hi:) They will say, “where you go”, which in their language can mean where are you going or where were you. They want to know if you are happy at their home or hotel and they want you to love Bali.

When you stay in Bali for more than a week or two, this starts to affect you, in a wonderful way. You may see someone smoking and instead of “being right” and saying – Hey no smoking, you just walk the other way. You start smiling so much, your face hurts. You feel lighter, happier, at peace. There’s much better things to do than be confrontational with others. You can practice meditation, do yoga, learn how to sit with yourself and find the person hiding behind the ego driven person.

Anyway, it’s a thought. I highly suggest giving it a try. When you find the real you and learn to love the real you, there’s a sense of joy that becomes part of you.

Namaste