By Brandon Alter:
It’s not its fault, it’s just trying to help. But let’s face it, your ego is an asshole.
It means well, and it has a function. Back in the days of saber toothed tigers, it was literally the mechanism in our brain that kept us alive. I don’t know about you, but these days I don’t run across too many predators, and still my ego is calling the shots.
At its core, the ego loves control and security, which also means it hates change and loves stagnation. So any time you want to start a new habit or even a new book, your ego is gonna get cranky. It’s gonna try to talk you out of it. Not because it’s out to get you, but because it’s scared. It’s scared it’s not as smart as it thinks it is. It’s scared it’s gonna get hurt. It’s scared of anything unknown, and unfortunately, THE UNKNOWN IS WHERE REAL LIFE HAPPENS.
So goddess bless your ego, but let’s see if we can put it on the back burner.
And who do we call up in its place? Your heart. Your strong, sincere, superhero of a heart. Because your heart really does know best. And its advice is always spot on. The heart says, "take that pottery class, trust me." And the ego says, "why would you take a pottery class, you’re terrible with your hands?" And because the ego is louder and uses fear (they’re all gonna laugh at you) the ego generally wins out. Well, not today!
Let’s call it out: your ego is an asshole, and it’s time you stood your ground and stopped catering to it. The only thing your ego can deliver you is more of the same.
