Finding Who You Truly Are
From A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.
The most important, the primordial relationship in your life is your relationship with the Now, or rather whatever form the Now takes, that is to say what is or what happens. If your relationship with the Now is dysfunctional, that dysfunction will be reflected in every relationship and every situation you encounter. The ego could be defined simply in this way: a dysfunctional relationship with the present moment.
Do you want the present moment to be your friend or your enemy? The present moment is inseparable from life, so you are really deciding what kind of a relationship you want to have with life.
Time is what the ego lives on. The stronger the ego, the more time takes over your life. Almost every thought you think is then concerned with the past or future, and your sense of self depends on the past for your identity and on the future for its fulfillment. Fear, anxiety, expectation, regret, guilt, anger are the dysfunctions of the time-bound state of consciousness.
There are three ways in which the ego will treat the present moment: as a means to an end, as an obstacle, or as an enemy. When this pattern operates in you, you can recognize it and – decide again.