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Only a Life Lived for Others Is a Life Worth Living

Selfless service and how to practice it

George J. Ziogas
3 min readOct 3, 2022
Photo: vectorfusionart / Adobe Stock

Karma yoga is the act of behaving selflessly. You learn to drop the ego and carry out actions mindfully. The notion may seem simple. But initially, practicing it may be more complicated than you imagine.

It’s difficult to detach from the ego as a beginner. So often, it impedes showing kindness to people and meeting your goals. Your ego guides negative self-talk that insists you impress people, save face, and keep up appearances.

Beneath your ego lives your original self, otherwise referred to as your higher self. People sometimes forget their egos and make kind, wise decisions that help others. The desire for personal gain doesn’t drive such behaviors, and those who perform them might enjoy a feel-good buzz from their altruism.

Most often, however, people rarely drop their egos on demand. The practice of karma yoga can change your mindset and make tapping into your higher, kinder self simple.

Mindfulness aids karma yoga

You focus on thoughts and actions when you’re mindful. Unwanted thought forms might arise, but you acknowledge and ignore them rather than dive into them and get involved.

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George J. Ziogas
George J. Ziogas

Written by George J. Ziogas

Editor | Vocational Education Teacher | HR Consultant | Manners will take you where money won't | ziogasjgeorge@gmail.com

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