Book Review: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

A focus on keeping one's ego in check is super important to me. So important that I named the blog to reflect this idea. I talk about this concept all the time both to help you and to help myself. I am plagued daily by the temptation to think more of myself than I actually am.

Ego is the Enemy was recommended to me by a friend by coincidence. I don't necessarily know if this person is aware how important this topic to me is, so I jumped at the chance to read this book when it finally became available in my Overdrive app. It's the book that finally pulled me away from my Nintendo Switch long enough to get my personal development back on track. Allow me to reflect now on what I think about this book now that I've finished it.

WELL WRITTEN AND ORGANIZED

My super slow reading self is still working through another of Holiday's books (Trust Me, I'm Lying), and Holiday definitely has a knack for writing. His message is conveyed in a manner that is easy to understand and constantly captivating. He words things in such a way that readers of any level can understand.

Not only is this book well written, but the book is also structured in a very reasonable way. Holiday illustrates his points with many stories of real folks throughout history. You'll read about Ben Franklin, Jackie Robinson, and a whole other cast of characters. The inclusion of these stories was well thought out and contributed well to the overall concept of the book.

UNPRECEDENTED CONTENT

Aside from biblical teachings, I have never read any sort of literature that covers a topic so well. Perhaps it is because this is an issue that plagues us all, and we are all unaware of the extent that this issue has on us. Holiday makes it clear why it is important to keep our egos in check and does this well with the aforementioned illustrative stories.

There is a sense of pride inside us all. Some of us wrestle with it more than others, but we should never dismiss that we don't wrestle with these issues. It could be at work. It could be in the church. Heck, it could even be in our own homes. It feels good on a superficial level to give into these indulgences, but ultimately, it is only to our own detriment that we give into our egos. Holiday speaks to this better than I ever could.

MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I could not stop agreeing with everything Holiday had to share as most of it is something I have reflected in my own life. Compared to my peers, I have always seemingly excelled in ways above and beyond them. School, extracurriculars, and now career. Even today, it is a temptation to be overly proud for the role I'm currently in.

But I've seen the other side. I've experienced what happens when you give into those indulgences. You look at yourself as an immortal that cannot be touched by others. But then reality sinks in: you're not all that great. I'm not all that great. That sense of entitlement that comes with pride ultimately becomes a crutch when you realize that reality rarely acts in your favor.

It's only after you realize this that you can truly grow. When you begin to understand that you don't know it all, and you're not all that great. But you know what? You can still do great things by relying on others to work toward a common goal. You don't need to know everything. If you accept this fact with humility, you can work toward uplifting those around you who are better in a certain area. This way, the crushing reality of pride never has a chance to manifest itself.

I definitely recommend this book to everybody, but the honest reality is that the choice to read or not read this book already says much about who you are. If you want to read this book, chances are you don't need to read this book. If you don't want to read this book, well... you probably need it more than anybody, quite frankly. In either case, it's still an excellent read and easy recommendation for all.

Disclaimer: I read this book cover to cover prior to publishing this review. I read this book on my Kindle by checking it out via the Overdrive library application.