Question: When we have feelings of 'my' and 'mine,' how can we make that 'I' feel as small as an ant?

Sri Chinmoy: You should not feel that you are an ant. If you feel like an ant, then you will always remain an ant. When you have a little 'I', you have to try to expand it. You have to make it as large as possible, make it the universal 'I.' You have to feel, "I am the Supreme's daughter." If you think that you are the Supreme's daughter, immediately you become as vast as the universe. Then all your undivine qualities will go away. You are not fooling yourself, but on the strength of your devoted oneness with the Supreme, when your little 'I' comes forward, you make yourself feel, "I am God's daughter, so it is beneath my dignity to be jealous of this person, or to doubt someone, or to be insecure or frustrated." In that way you can enlarge your little 'I' into the Vast, into the Infinite. But if you keep it and try to make it smaller and smaller then it is difficult because at that time superiority and inferiority will come. You are the smallest, you are useless; this kind of thing you will feel.

So it is best always to take the positive side. But it has to be done on the strength of your aspiration; otherwise it will just be your vital ego that is coming to the fore. Caesar, Napoleon and others thought they were very great. From the little 'I' their ego became very big. That kind of impure, undivine ego you don't want. You want to be able to feel, "I and my Father are one." Two thousand years ago the Christ said he and his Father were one. "If he can say that, what is wrong with my saying that? If he realised God, then tomorrow I can realise God." This is what you have to feel. The Christ said, "I and My Father are one." The Vedic seers said, " Brahmosmi — I am the Brahman, the One without a second." If they can say that, you also can say that. But in their case they prayed and meditated: that is why they are one with the Highest. In your case also, you have to pray and meditate and become one with the Highest. It is the only way. Otherwise, if you say, "I am useless, I am hopeless," then you will always remain useless and hopeless.