"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."--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 hisƯtory. 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 conƯquering 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.
In the tradition of Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, a short, powerful meditation on ego and creativity, from the bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way. In The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday introduced tens of thousands of readers to the world of Stoic philosophy. In The Ego is the Enemy, Holiday again delivers practical and inspiring philosophy to people who need it, picking up on a powerful concept that runs back centuries, across borders and schools of thought. Our main impediment in life is not the outside world but ourselves. It's our ego that is our most common enemy. Early in our careers, it can prevent us from learning and developing our talents. When we taste success, ego can blind us to our own faults, alienate us from others and lead to our downfall. In failure, ego is devastating and makes recovery all the more difficult. It is only by identifying our ego, speaking to its desires, and systematically disarming it that we will ever create our best work. In The Ego is the Enemy, Holidaydraws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to history to his own experience advising many high-profile clients. Like Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, the book offers a brutally honest portrait of how we let our egos seduce us, and offers valuable advice for how we can overcome them"
