Hey. It’s Friday!
This week I read:
Ego Is The Enemy
By: Ryan Holiday
Portfolio (June 14, 2016)
256 pages
I am a fan of Ryan Holiday, so maybe I am biased. But I thought this book was fantastic. Holiday weaves together personal stories, historical events, and quote after quote of research in this comprehensive warning of self-sabotage by ego. “Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, your worst enemy already lives inside you: your ego.”
Two of my favorite quotes:
“Appearances are deceiving. Having authority is not the same as being an authority. Having the right and being right are not the same either. Being promoted doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing good work and it doesn’t mean you are worthy of promotion (they call it failing upward in such bureaucracies). Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive.”
“An amateur is defensive. The professional finds learning (and even, occasionally, being shown up) to be enjoyable; they like being challenged and humbled, and engage in education as an ongoing and endless process.”