Everyone’s got one, but few can keep it in check…
I’m talking about ego.
The part of your mind that is constantly fighting to “protect” you and validate your identity.
I’m bringing this up because of a quote I recently saw from Ryan Holiday:
“Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success. It repulses advantages and opportunities.”
Pretty intense stuff, but Ryan’s dead on.
Unfortunately, I’ve personally seen a lot of people destroy opportunities (and their businesses) because of their egos.
On the flip side though, I’ve seen even more people accomplish real big things when they let their egos go and simply focused on their own race.
My advice – ignore the “influencers” and gurus who are obsessed with making themselves look good…
Don’t feel like you’ve got to have it all together…
And absolutely be willing to admit when you need help.
Holiday goes on to say this:
“One might say that the ability to evaluate one’s own ability is the most important skill of all. Without it, improvement is impossible.”
You want to improve right?
I know I do.
So let’s leave our egos at the door and get real honest with ourselves.