The ego is the sense we have of our self-esteem and our self-worth. When it comes to moving forward in life, Ryan Holiday, author of Ego is the Enemy argues that both in success and in failure our ego only gets in the way and holds us back.
The time we spend in our own heads comparing ourselves to others and measuring our esteem is time that is distracted from the real work we could be doing—the work of producing our art and cultivating our life’s task.
In success, the ego expands and can lead us away from the humble and determined mindset(s) that got us to our successes in the first place. Too many successes in a row and we start to see the ego move from unsure to confidence to cockiness. Bad habits can start to form including less time spent in preparation and an increased lack of desire to learn and/or practice.
Keeping our ego in check in success keeps us focused on the same processes that got us to those victories in the first place and ensures we humbly keep working towards our goals.
In failure, we see the ego deflate and magnify every mistake—sometimes in completely blown out of proportion ways. By removing our ego from failure situations, we can quickly start to see the learning opportunities in such moments and start to focus our energy on growing rather than shrinking.
The challenge is that our ego is too attached to our comfort zone. It’s used to the daily patterns, routines, and habits and doesn’t want anything to change. It’s clingy. And the attachment feels safe, but it’s also smothering.endingprocess either.”
Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
“Christians believe that pride is a sin because it is a lie—it convinces people that they are better than they are, that they are better than God made them. Pride leads to arrogance and then away from humility and connection with their fellow man. You don’t have to be Christian to see the wisdom in this. You need only to care about your career to understand that pride—even in real accomplishments—is a distraction and a deluder.”
Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
“You can’t learn if you think you already know. You will not find the answers if you’re too conceited and self-assured to ask the questions. You cannot get better if you’re convinced you are the best.
Ryanday, Ego is the Enemy
“Christians believe that pride is a sin because it is a lie—it convinces people that they are better than they are, that they are better than God made them. Pride leads to arrogance and then away from humility and connection with their fellow man. You don’t have to be Christian to see the wisdom in this. You need only to care about your career to understand that pride—even in real accomplishments—is a distraction and a deluder.”
Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
“You can’t learn if you think you already know. You will not find the answers if you’re too conceited and self-assured to ask the questions. You cannot get better if you’re convinced you are the best.”
Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy
