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Book

Ego is the enemy

Call Number

  • 158.1 H7325 (CEN)

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Publication Information

New York, New York : Portfolio, Penguin, [2016]

Physical Description

xxv, 226 pages ; 19 cm

Summary

""While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I've found 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." --from the prologue Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back. Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by con­quering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well. In an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, "you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you've set out to achieve.""--

Contents

  • Part I. Aspire
  • Talk, talk, talk
  • To be or to do?
  • Become a student
  • Don't be passionate
  • Follow the canvas strategy
  • Restrain yourself
  • Get out of your own head
  • The danger of early pride
  • Work, work, work
  • For everything that comes next, ego is the enemy...
  • Part II. Success
  • Always stay a student
  • Don't tell yourself a story
  • What's important to you?
  • Entitlement, control, and paranoia
  • Managing yourself
  • Beware the disease of me
  • Meditate on the immensity
  • Maintain your sobriety
  • For what often comes next, ego is the enemy...
  • Part III. Failure
  • Alive time or dead time?
  • The effort is enough
  • Fight club moments
  • Draw the line
  • Maintain your own scorecard
  • Always love
  • For everything that comes next, ego is the enemy...

Subjects