"If your belief in yourself is not dependent on actual achievement, then what is it dependent on?"

This is a very eye-opening book if you go to it with an open mind and no judgement.

Have you ever met persons who thinks they're better than everyone, even persons they have never met or know nothing about and then later find out that they are very bad at what they were bragging about? Or maybe you felt like you're the best at something and later realize you might have acted a bit too proud? This is what the author Ryan Holiday talks about in his book "Ego is the Enemy".

Holiday first clarifies what is meant by "ego" in this book. he's not just talking about being confident or having self-esteem. Those are good things Instead, he's pointing at that sneaky voice in our heads that makes us overconfident, tells us we don’t need to listen to anyone else, or that we're always right. This holds us back and prevents us from growing.

The book's main message is that our ego, that part of us that wants to be the star, that doesn't want to admit when it's wrong, can get in the way of our success, learning, and relationships. Basically, thinking we're too cool for school can prevent us from learning.

Holiday shared two ways that the ego can hold us back, during times of success and times of failure.

The main problem with ego is that if not managed you will not allow yourself to grow from lessons you can learn from experiences whether good or bad.

An example was given of Howard Hughes, who was very rich and successful but had an ego that made him miss out on true happiness.

Examples were given of persons who did the opposite and managed their ego, learning from their life lessons and grow from those experiences.

To manage the ego Holiday shared three important things to help keep you grounded.

You will enjoy how simple these tips are and apply them to your life.

In closing I would like to mention that life is an adventure with ups and downs where we can learn many lessons. "Ego is the Enemy" teaches us that whether we're happy or sad, it is important to keep our egos in check. By staying humble, being open to learning, and focused on real growth and not just the appearance, we can achieve great things and live a life we're proud of.