Use ego as a tool

Ego usually gets a bad wrap. It’s the thing that gets in the way when you think you’re right but you’re not. It’s the thing which holds you back from making things and putting them out in the world. “But mine’s not good enough.” It’s the thing which gets jealous when you see someone else doing better than you.

When you put it like this, ego’s bad wrap makes sense.

But it’s far more useful to see ego as a tool.

Something which you can dial up when you need. When you need the extra confidence to say, “I’m going to do this.”

And something which you can dial down when it’s not needed. When you’re having a heated argument with your friend and really both of you are arguing the same thing but neither of you is willing to admit. Or when you need to learn something new and you need to put aside your pride whilst you get better.

Don't let ego get in the way of effectiveness.

Further reading: Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Running America by Scott Adams