Taming Your Ego When You're Too Big for Your Britches

Beyond Your Default

We've spent the past few conversations exploring the our ability to reach beyond our defaults and norms from the perspective of those who struggle to feel good about ourselves, or don't find it easy to trust or bet on ourselves.

However, there exists another extreme at the other end of the spectrum. A word that is hotly debated in terms of its worth, as well as how much an overdose of it can be highly problematic in our lives.

And that word is EGO.

The idea of our ego is highly polarizing. It's hard to hear the word without immediately flinching at an imaginary boardroom supervillain whose ego steamrolls every single person around them ... or those bad first dates where you spend 3 hours listening to someone talk about how amazing they are, without them ever asking you a single question.

⚡ Related: What Is Beyond Your Default? (The Start of the Journey)

But the reality is that our ego is meant to play a critical role for us mere mortals, when it comes to our psychology. It's the "I" lens through which our life experiences are filtered through – it's how we establish our sense of self. It's only when it's unchecked that we can potentially start running amok in our own lives (and, potentially, the lives of others).

So, that's what we're going to tackle in today's episode – the curious case of the good ego vs. the bad ego, how to know when you've gone too far, and what to do when you realize you've grown too big for your britches. George also shares a powerful story involving a motorcycle you won't want to miss.

Questions We Explore

• When you hear the word "ego," what first comes to mind? What are the accurate or flawed assumptions we make about the word?
• Why does this conversation matter so much when it comes to the idea of living beyond your default?
• What is the difference between good ego and bad ego? When does our ego play a vital role in our psychology?
• How do you think well-meaning folks end up trapped on the wrong side of the ego spectrum? Even with the best of intentions, it can happen!
• What value does your ego still hold for you in every day life ... when you're on the right side of the spectrum?
• How do you bounce back from trips down the wrong side of ego lane?
• How do you keep yourself in check now when it comes to your ego? Are there certain questions we ask ourselves to keep ourselves centered?