Ego Is the Enemy

by Ryan Holiday

Sobriety, open-mindedness, organization, and purpose—these are the great stabilizers. They balance out the ego and pride that comes with achievement and recognition.

On top of all this, we have to build an organization and a system around what we do—one that is about the work and not about us.

“Always stay a student.” As in, it never ends.

It’s not about having more than the others. It’s about being what you are, and being as good as possible at it, without succumbing to all the things that draw you away from it. It’s about going where you set out to go. About accomplishing the most that you’re capable of in what you choose. That’s it.

Days become less and less about doing and more and more about making decisions.

“Fear is a bad advisor.”

Failure and adversity are relative and unique to each of us. Almost without exception, this is what life does: it takes our plans and dashes them

As they say, this moment is not your life. But it is a moment in your life. How will you use it?

In life, there will be times when we do everything right, perhaps even perfectly. Yet the results will somehow be negative: failure, disrespect, jealousy, or even a resounding yawn from the world.