Our Key Takeaways from Ego is The Enemy

By Mark Spain Real Estate

At Mark Spain Real Estate, one of our key values is to constantly grow and improve. This is one reason reading personal development books is an important practice to continue building a strong team culture and serving our clients at the highest level. Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday was recommended by the President of Mark Spain Real Estate, John Makarewicz. 

Ego is The Enemy

Ryan Holiday’s book, Ego is the Enemy, is a wonderful personal development book that will challenge its readers. This book addresses how to combat your ego no matter what stage of life you’re in. Individuals who have failed to reach great success have often failed because their own ego got in the way. In order to become successful and remain successful, Holiday reiterates we have to continuously learn and remind ourselves to remain humble.

He explains that once most people put in the work and finally become successful, there is a dramatic collapse. He asks his readers, “Why is a success so ephemeral?” Your ego is the reason. Once we reach success, we stop learning, stop listening, and leave behind what matters most. Holiday explains that the key stabilizers once you find success are: sobriety, open-mindedness, organization, and purpose. Holiday explained, “They balance out the ego and pride that comes with achievement and recognition.”

In part III of Ego is the Enemy, Holiday discusses failures because every great success story is joined by failures. Sometimes you fail before you achieve success or fail after you’ve reached great success. Despite when, how, or why you failed, Ego is The Enemy reminds us that ego not only sets us back from overcoming these failures.

Additionally, ego is probably the reason the failure happened in the first place. The way through failure is to work on ourselves, find our purpose, and work toward great success. The key to this is learning that your own ego will always be your greatest enemy in life. The way we overcome ego is through self-awareness and not searching for pity in failure. We must use patience and find our purpose.

Our Company Key Takeaways

“For me, the biggest lesson this book discusses is the need to be a lifelong learner. The idea that if you are not learning, you’re already dying. My favorite quote is: “An amateur is defensive. The professional finds learning to be enjoyable; they like being challenged and humbled, and engage in education as an ongoing and endless process.” shared John Makarewicz, President of Mark Spain Real Estate. 

“The key takeaway I learned from this book is to always be open to learning and constantly act as a student. I realized I’m constantly learning every day and absorbing everything around me.”

“This book has shown me that being a student is more than just learning new things, it’s also about understanding how to be self-critical, stay motivated, and accept feedback, even if it is harsh. Don’t let your ego get in the way of accepting and understanding critical feedback that will only make you stronger and more successful.” – Hannah Shumate, Marketing Assistant

Check out more of Mark Spain’s recommended books here!

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