Ego Is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent

“While the history books are filled with obsessive, visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that if you go looking you’ll find that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition. Engaging with and retelling these stories has been my method of learning and absorbing them.”

Holiday acknowledges that eccentric or egotistical people tend to receive more attention and gain notoriety for their actions. Holiday instead wishes to appreciate the contributions of people who were humble instead of egotistical. This passage helps to lay a foundation for Holiday’s argument that while egotistical people are more likely to become famous, truly successful people tend to keep their egos in check with hard work and humility.

“In this way, ego is the enemy of what you want and what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success. It repulses advantages and opportunities. It’s a magnet for enemies and errors.”

Holiday contrasts egotistical impulses with the qualities and habits that foster real success. He claims that “ego is the enemy” because it can hinder attempts at fostering real skill and personal development. Instead, Holiday believes that there is a link between Ego and Delusion.

“Talk depletes us. Talking and doing fight for the same resources. Research shows that while goal visualization is important, after a certain point our minds begin to confuse it with actual progress. The same goes for verbalization.”

Holiday connects “talk,” or verbalizing what one wants to work on or achieve, with the ego, positing that the ego enjoys envisioning success and receiving validation or attention for the idea of it. Holiday argues that it is actually counterproductive to talk about one’s work too much since it detracts from one’s focus on the actual task at hand.