A big ego could lead to serious repercussions in both your personal and professional life. When we reach the top level of decision making, many of us tend to believe that we know all the answers, in order to feed our desire for control. In fact, that’s the moment we no longer have control, with our ego taking over about 90% of our behavior and attitude.
Instead of seeing us as mentors -, individuals who are able to give proper advice and guide them – people will start to mistake our confidence for cockiness; especially for those of us that have strong personalities and are able to distinguish ourselves from the rest.
As entrepreneurs, it’s essential to have a strong ego, in order to boost our confidence and push ever-forward. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to look at ourselves in the mirror and have the motivation to keep going when everything seems to go south. We are our own hero and we should act like it.
Even so, an untamed ego has the power to put all of your dreams into the ground. The life you’ve always wanted will be ruined if you don’t learn how to control it. This type of ego can easily prevent you from achieving your goals,by putting a barrier between you and reality, therefore changing what you think reality looks like, subjectively speaking. More often than not, you will think that you’re right and everyone else is wrong; that you have all the answers. Unchecked, it will cause you to leave your true identity behind.
All my life I’ve been led by my ego, one capable of making me tear down everything I’ve worked so hard for, just to show others that I’m “right”;, that I’m the alpha in the group. It got so bad that I’ve wasted, time after time, months of work in just a couple of minutes. Not just my own work either, but that of an entire team, along with big investments, both financial and emotional, that were caught in the middle of it all.
I’ve been through such moments not once, not twice, but three times over the past 12 months. I realize I still have a lot to learn, but knowing when you need to shut down your ego is crucial for any entrepreneur!.
That said, your ego also comes with an energy that could prove essential for your success, if channeled in the right way. But, for this to happen in a positive manner, we all need to remember one important thing – every time we take an action in the heat of the moment, we run the danger of’ making a hasty decision.
It’s very easy to let ourselves be deluded by our own egos, especially when things seem to be working out for the best. People around us start to notice our gains and what we can offer, leading to a small ‘community’ being built with us as the principle‘“leader”’. It’s hard to resist such power and control at your disposal, so it comes as no surprise that you may become cocky and sometimes go ballistic as a result.
These are the moments when we forget we can’t be the best in every domain and we let our guard down. We come to believe that we control all areas of our business, ending up forgetting that we’re not perfect. After a couple of clutch reports missed or progress indicators abandoned, we’re faced with the harsh reality – there are things we can’t control and stuff we aren’t good at. With every success, our ego surrounds us and holds tight, never letting go. It gives us the false impression that we’re invincible, even though indicators in our workflow show us that we’re not on the right track. I’ve been in this situation times and time again, having to recompense people in order for them to believe in my dream anew. In the end, you can come to forget who you truly are and what your initial desires were.
After years of hard work and dozens of projects, I can certainly say that the biggest mistake any entrepreneur can make is caring too much about stroking his or her own ego.
So then, what’s the best way to hold your ego under control, while also absorbing the positive energy it can provide? My prime recommendation is for you to make a list of all the people you trust the most and who were able to give you quality feedback and advice over a long period of time. You could also contact new people who work in your field and individuals you respect. Ask them for a brief analysis of your personality, by sending them some questions regarding how they see you as a person and or a professional. This will be the first step in limiting the power your ego has over you, and letting you evolve further as an entrepreneur. You shouldn’t allow your ego to define who you are, nor give it total control over your actions. Otherwise, you won’t be able to live with yourself; you’ll always be on the run, reaching ever-darker roads ahead and vices that will tear you apart and make you ask yourself the ultimate question – who were you and who have you become?
You won’t be the real you by constantly putting your ego ahead of facts and truths. You can change this – today!
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