Ego is the Enemy Book Summary

Book Summary

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Brief Summary

Everyone is motivated by something. If the primary motivating factor behind everything you do is your ego - you’re in trouble! There are many ways to avoid the common pitfalls associated with ego overdrive: exercising ambition instead of ego, recognizing there’s always more to learn, avoiding pride, remembering you don’t always have to go it alone, and many others!

About the Author

Ryan Holiday is an American author, marketer, entrepreneur, and founder of creative advisory firm Brass Check. He is a media strategist, former director of marketing at American Apparel, a media columnist, and editor at large for the New York Observer.

He briefly attended the University of California, Riverside and studied political science and creative writing. He worked for Tucker Max on several controversial media pranks including boycotting Max’s work as part of a movie launch.

He is the author of several books and wrote for Forbes, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, The Columbia Journalist Review, etc.

His first book, Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator tries to explore flaws in the current online journalism system and was on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. He wrote the book Growth Hacker Marketing which explored non-traditional marketing efforts as more effective.

In 2014, he became the New York Observer’s editor at large. Holiday went on to publish several other books such as The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego is the Enemy, which explores the egotism of several historical figures.

The New York Times has credited Holiday with the increasing popularity of stoicism.

Topics

Self Development

Ego is the Enemy Book Summary Preview

Everyone is motivated by something. If you are driven to achieve things because you want attention and praise, it's likely you’re being driven by your ego. While there is nothing wrong with being motivated by egocentric goals (goals that primarily benefit you or make you look good to others), it's easy for your ego to get out of hand. When someone’s ego is the correct size, they have enough confidence to take risks, and they can handle failure without losing their cool. But, once someone's ego gets out of proportion, they can end up reaping painful consequences in the long run. Problems with ego management can lead to the inability to achieve meaningful success because of damaged relationships with colleagues, shortsightedness, missed opportunities, and many other problems. Here’s how to shift away from the pitfalls of egoist living, and move into a more success oriented perspective.

Exercise ambition, instead of ego

In opposition to those who are primarily motivated by their ego, there are those motivated by ambition. They desire to be the best in their field, whether other people notice it or not. A historical example of this principle is William Tecumseh Sherman, a general in the military during the Civil War. He cared more about being the best at his role than he cared for prestige and recognition. His leadership abilities were so exceptional, he was asked to run for president. After talking with Lincoln, he realized he wanted to stay in the field of military leadership. He passed up the recognition he could receive as president to continue excelling in what he loved. By comparison, ego driven Ulysses S. Grant ran for president even though he lacked any experience in a similar role. His ego drove him to believe he could successfully tackle an endeavor when he had no experience. This is not to say that those who are ambitious shouldn’t take risks: but rather focus your risk taking in an area that you feel passionate about, not just an area where you think you can get praise and attention.

Recognize there’s always more to learn

Humility is the antidote to egoism. How do you maintain humility? Recognize that there is always more to learn. No matter what field you are in, there is always someone more skilled you can learn from. Retaining this humility will allow you to continue to develop your skill set. Develop the perspective of a student and remain willing to be taught, and keep the awareness that no matter how much you excel at what you do, there will always be someone who’s better.

This attitude has been helpful to guitarist Kirk Hammett, who was offered the position of guitarist in Metallica in the 1980s. He refused, because he knew that once he started playing in a band, he would miss out on the opportunity to grow his skills. He instead became a student of world-renowned guitar legend Joe Satriani. Similarly, Frank Shamrock, a martial arts expert, believes that those who have reached advanced levels in martial...