Alas, what the conscious mind hopes to manifest matters not while
 the subconscious mind adheres to individual personification ideals, 
and the subconscious mind rules! An obvious example that this is 
true would be in the learned mechanics involved in expertly driving 
a car. What if you had to consciously think of every needed response 
as you did when you first learned to drive?

Well, first of all, I think it's safe to assume you would not be around 
to read this article. Likewise, feeding the subconscious other valuable 
techniques, similar to programming a computer, are necessary and desirable 
in making nearly every facet of our everyday lives run as smoothly as 
possible. But what of empowerment? Where does one search for the ultimate 
self-esteem?

While the learned mechanical techniques are valuable tools, they are 
only that-tools. How might one (note that I did not say "an individual") 
lacking physical vision or hearing achieve empowerment or self-esteem? 
Probably we all know people who, after losing sense of sight or hearing, 
have developed heightened awareness through other senses which may have 
long lay dormant before their need arose. While we rightfully admire 
such adaptability in the face of hardships difficult for most of us 
to even imagine, the self-esteem and sense of empowerment one can, and 
should realize as just rewards for their determination must still remain 
inconsequential in the quest of the ultimate.

Empowerment with the Ultimate Self-Esteem is nonsensical! Some may refer 
to a sixth sense, and that may be helpful. Indeed, all the senses can be 
helpful in attaining our goal here, as long as we consider them tools 
which are no longer useful once a given project is completed. Also, as 
with most tools, we hold onto them, and sometimes sharpen them so they 
will be ready when needed again, and we shall see in a moment, how to 
recognize that time.

Everyone retains within the mind the Ultimate Self-Esteem, so we need 
not go looking for it. Looking for it in all the wrong places is, 
in fact, the wild goose chase our egos send us on ad infinitum, 
until we catch a glimpse that makes it clear to us that we had it 
all along! All our lives most of us bury it deeper and deeper under 
individual goals; if we are lucky, we finally awaken to the fact 
that achieving a lifetime of individual goals still leaves us 
unsatisfied. Most financially successful people will say they 
did it for their family, but that is not enough. It must be for 
the entire universal family in order to avoid inner conflict. 
This is not to say that individual goals must be sacrificed 
if one is to gain true self-esteem, but they must be given 
a lower priority with no thought of sacrifice involved. If 
one gains genuine inner peace, does that not preclude wants 
of any other kind?

True self-esteem, therefore, refers to the Universal Self 
we all share. Total relinquishment of the individual goal 
is not required to experience the blissful "rejoining" with 
our universal, collective Self. Rather, it may serve as 
another tool to keep handy. How do we recognize that our 
tools may be temporarily needed again? Any time we are not 
feeling totally peaceful. Excluding anyone renders true 
Self-esteem impossible. Ego uses self-esteem, but once 
we've tasted the real thing, we recognize it as a shabby 
substitute for Self-esteem.
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