Reputation

"A conscious man is protected at all times, but his protection is utterly unlike anything known by a sleeping man. It is the protection of having no protection at all. If you protect anything, perhaps your reputation, it means you are protecting a label, a mere word, which causes tension toward whatever threatens the label. So this kind of protection protects nothing; it just makes you nervous. But if you have no reputation at all---which is a wonderful way to live---there is no need for protection and there is no nervousness, for you are yourself only."

Vernon Howard 'Esoteric Mid Power'

It would be wise to notice the many "I's" within one's self. Whether they be labels of greatness or despair they are traps, requiring large amounts of needless life energy. Their opposites carry no value either. Look at your outward and inward self proclamations. What do they really mean? Do you think you are nothing without some claim, some piece of a proverbial pie? Am I this...Am I that....are good questions to ask as a starting point. How about expected results from your titles? You say you want to live your life the way you want to, well... you do, how do you like it? It is not an airy attitude to allow some doubt at this point. It is a precursor to true heroism. Try an experiment. You may not understand it at first, but with practice the benefits will eventually ring true. The next time you are with a group of friends, peers, casual acquaintances or strangers, watch for the need to speak of your accomplishments. Don't concern yourself with failure or whether you are doing it correctly---those are just labels too! Observe your conversations and description of things you have like trophies, awards, titles, accommodations, current activities or opinions. See the masks that you and others are wearing. Remember this is an experiment so don't take what you see personally, just observe casually. You can learn a lot about your self and others (oneness exploration). This is something you are free to get excited about. blessings, r