Ego Is The Enemy
Ego Is The Enemy - Ryan Holiday
“If you go looking you’ll find history is made of individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.”
Ego Is The Enemy might be my favourite book written by Ryan. It follows the same structure of most of his other books and works tightly around a central thesis with each chapter offering specific historical examples and support.
Ego, in the modern sense of the term that has been developed, is the not the Freudian meaning of the term of being the driver behind the car is the Id. Ego is that low-level narcissism or self-importance that craves you always be noticed. Ego is the need for more followers on Instagram and likes, comments, and retweets.
EITE might be described as a self-help book but in an ironic way, as most self-help books serve to bolster self-confidence and raise up the individual to grandiose levels, Ego tries to break you down and say that there's nothing special about you. Serve a greater purpose with your work and don't even worry about getting credit for it.
I believe that everybody owes it to themselves to read this book and put into practice many of the lessons it has to offer on separating your purpose, successes and failures from the need to have them always be recognized by others.