Insights from “Ego is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday
Ego is the enemy, the book that tells you to GROW UP. I am glad I read this book at the right time. When I needed to work on my goals and not care about ego.
The author has explained our need to focus on what matters in our pursuit of success.
Even when you’re overqualified to do something and someone else takes credit for it, do it as a creative self-expression, anything to grow and learn.
It’s a given that to be successful in life we have to face failures, rejections, and criticism and not give up but work harder, taking every obstacle as an opportunity to grow. We should take every job or internship we like to experience and not think about being paid less or a position that is less than what we have studied because everything is an opportunity in the process!
In our path to success, we face many people, some will treat us well and with respect, some will not be so appreciative but we have to remember our principles and treat everyone with grace.
We have two paths: one is pride, greed, and power the other is duty, honor, and country. It’s up to us which one we choose which will determine the course of our lives.
In our careers, we constantly learn and work. It’s a continuous cycle of putting in effort as a result, we learn or achieve but either way, we evolve.
We must constantly learn and be a student not let our ego get in the way of thinking we already know something, because there is always something to get better at, knowledge and learning don’t stop.
When a student is ready, a teacher appears.
That teacher can also be in the form of books ;)
We should be self-motivated and self-critical, and take the harsh criticism from someone we trust to get better.
Feedback makes us stronger. It tells us what we need to improve.
When we are passionate about a goal, we can endure anything! We can easily sacrifice instant gratification for long-term goals.
Greatness comes from humble beginnings.
It means you’re the least important person in the room until you change that with results.
Think of how you can help someone, how you could do something for them, which will entirely benefit them and not you.
Do not let your ego stop you from seeing the bigger picture, the more important goals.
This is the single most important lesson of the book.
When you’re not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing and when you meet him, he will win.
To know what you like is the beginning of wisdom and old age.
Ego needs the honor to be validated. Confidence, on the other hand, can wait and focus on the task at hand regardless of external recognition.
So in our careers, we face many setbacks, adversities, and failures and that’s ok.
We must remember success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you put the effort to do your best and become the best you’re capable of becoming.
We should also not only learn from our mistakes but also from the mistakes of others.
Ego can be our biggest enemy, but with self-awareness, reflection, and insights, we can understand ourselves better and realize where we need to change and improve. Give this book a try; it’s worth it!
