What is the Antidote to your Ego?

Does your ego control you?

Paul walks into a room after getting employee of the month for closing the Gibson account, earlier he had proved Michael wrong with his well-crafted email, he makes a joke, everyone laughs and then he gets complemented on his fresh new suit. His head begins to swell uncontrollably. 

‘Quick, he is dying of over-ego, get me the antidotes’ – its Doctor AntiEgo to the rescue

‘Sure thing Doc’

Doc reaches into his briefcase to find the picture of Paul when he wet himself in high school and play a voice note from his ex-girlfriend talking about his tiny manhood. Paul’s head returns to size, much relief all round. Another person saved by Docs trusty briefcase of ego antidotes.

Paul is relieved, thanking Doctor Antiego he asks him ‘what would I have done if you were not around?’.

After a moment to ponder the Doc replied ‘you would have died from smugness and self-importance’

‘Wow, thanks Doc, you are the best Doctor ever so amazing at your job, you are right I need to control my ego and may I say you are quite dashing in that superhero outfit’

With that the Doctors head starts to expand, he has a panicked expression. Who will save the good Doctor Antiego?

The attendees at his funeral made sure to stay humble, to admit to mistakes and to avoid self-important wallowing. The Doctor didn’t perish in vain.

Possibly the main problem with ego is the inability of someone to admit when they are wrong. Do you think you are always right? If so, I am afraid you got yourself a bit of an ego problem there. What is the antidote to this? We all must be wrong some of the time.

I notice myself sometimes try and spin events, so they look like I have been in the right, when knowing I have been at ‘fault’. It must be in human nature to do this, I am working on stopping because I think this is my ego trying to hang onto my infallibility.

Humans make mistakes, to admit we are wrong can often be seen as weakness. To admit we are wrong when there is no pressure to do so takes huge strength of mind and therefore should be seen as a strength. Look at politicians who will fight tooth and nail to maintain infallible status. The perceived weakness in a mistake. Frustrating thing is that this is what we admire in our public figures, because when they do admit a mistake, we tear them limb from limb – hashtag twitter storm.

Ego has trapped us in a world of self-importance, we are important to ourselves, but we shouldn’t overestimate the importance to others of our world, our opinions (don’t you worry I get the irony), our pictures and our words.