Is Ego Good Or Bad?

[mikecarlooch]

I got a kick in the face recently from a book I read called Ego Is The Enemy

Most of my life since the beginning of highschool I've been extremely egotistical. I'm not afraid to admit it because It's true.

A lot of people have told me it's a bad thing, and some tell me it's a good thing to be optimally delusional.

I feel like ego is one of the things that has put me on a desperate path for entrepreneurship before I knew what fastlane was. Before finding MJ's books, my goal was all about proving myself and being better than other people.. probably because as a kid in middle school I was super belittled.

Being belittled in middle school and some of highschool, along with a few other things, gave me "purpose" for crazy goals in entrepreneurship..

Ego has driven me into tons of good habits, and new hobbies, such as martial arts, reading, yoga, bodybuilding, meditation, deep work, entrepreneurship, ego was the thing that drove me to invest in crypto and basketball cards before they exploded.

But at the same time, ego forced me to make a lot of horrible decisions. ego was the thing that got me to move out of my parents house a week after high school without any plans or any idea how to start a business because I made some money with investing and thought I was invincible, ego made me act like I was better than people and then feel super guilty about the way I acted, ego put me through periods of time where I talked a lot but took no action.

But I'm not sure how to feel about ego. If I look back at my life, ego has been the thing that is constantly progressing me mentally and making me smarter and more skilled, and it's also been the reason for some really stupid decisions along the way.

I wanted to ask you guys on here.. Where do you draw the line with ego? Should I continue embracing egotism? Or should I take the necessary steps to destroy my ego? Or half and half?

This may be my ego speaking right now.. But do you guys think that ridding myself of ego could destroy insane ambitions and mess up future goals?

I don't know how to feel about it. But the number one thing I took away from the book Ego Is The Enemy is that talk is cheap and results are all that matter.

Anyways, what's your thoughts on this? Is Ego a driver for success? Or a path to nothingness?

 

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[Itizn]

Ego is necessary.

And cannot be distinguished into a good or bad category.

My 2 c.

 

[Yogi_Fastlane]

I got a kick in the face recently from a book I read called Ego Is The Enemy

Most of my life since the beginning of highschool I've been extremely egotistical. I'm not afraid to admit it because It's true.

A lot of people have told me it's a bad thing, and some tell me it's a good thing to be optimally delusional.

I feel like ego is one of the things that has put me on a desperate path for entrepreneurship before I knew what fastlane was. Before finding MJ's books, my goal was all about proving myself and being better than other people.. probably because as a kid in middle school I was super belittled.

Being belittled in middle school and some of highschool, along with a few other things, gave me "purpose" for crazy goals in entrepreneurship..

Ego has driven me into tons of good habits, and new hobbies, such as martial arts, reading, yoga, bodybuilding, meditation, deep work, entrepreneurship, ego was the thing that drove me to invest in crypto and basketball cards before they exploded.

But at the same time, ego forced me to make a lot of horrible decisions. ego was the thing that got me to move out of my parents house a week after high school without any plans or any idea how to start a business because I made some money with investing and thought I was invincible, ego made me act like I was better than people and then feel super guilty about the way I acted, ego put me through periods of time where I talked a lot but took no action.

But I'm not sure how to feel about ego. If I look back at my life, ego has been the thing that is constantly progressing me mentally and making me smarter and more skilled, and it's also been the reason for some really stupid decisions along the way.

I wanted to ask you guys on here.. Where do you draw the line with ego? Should I continue embracing egotism? Or should I take the necessary steps to destroy my ego? Or half and half?

This may be my ego speaking right now.. But do you guys think that ridding myself of ego could destroy insane ambitions and mess up future goals?

I don't know how to feel about it. But the number one thing I took away from the book Ego Is The Enemy is that talk is cheap and results are all that matter.

Anyways, what's your thoughts on this? Is Ego a driver for success? Or a path to nothingness?

I feel there is a positive and negative side of Ego, my 2 cents.

You need healthy Ego to have self esteem and confidence at the same time they must come with credentials of actions and make you more humble, Muhammad Ali made himself the person he was due to his Ego, that was good although he appeared cocky in his boxing days but he had positive ego working for him.

Hitler had huge Negative Ego, worked in his favour for some time but ultimately destroyed him, his logic was he was born superior, being superficial doesn't help.

Postive ego is necessary, to avoid inferiority complex, positive ego is backed by actions which aren't immoral, unethical.

Negative Ego is to be avoided at all costs, it is backed by superficiality and little action and often has negative behaviours attached with them such as narcissism, jealousy, anger, hatred, leading to justifying themselves as superiors.

 

[Woosah]

I'm not so sure about using your ego as a driver for success. Trying to fulfill your ego's desires is like trying to count the beach sand. You're always going to want more.

 

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[larryous]

I'm not one who has enough results to show for it, but my ego carried me through much of my post-high school years, and it wasn't until recently that I regret walking down the path my ego led me down. It wasn't all bad - my ego got me through university and gave me the right friends I needed. However, much like you, I made big mistakes which greatly affected my relationship with my family and career path.

I became a little more aware of my ego and the path I blindly walked after awakening this entrepreneurial spirit we all feel after reading Millionaire Fastlane . For me, I'm consciously repurposing where and when my ego has a stronger say in things and so far, I like the progress.

I agree with a previous comment saying that ego is necessary - ego is drive, tenacity, and grit for me. However, if left unchecked, you inevitably lose something dear and important, in some way, shape, or form. I would hate to see that happen, especially to anyone on this forum.

 

[Angler]

I'm also still learning and my ego gets in to way sometime too, but I'd say I'm 10x better where I am now accepting my ego than pretending not to have one.

Some of the worst time in my life has been when I felt ashamed for having an ego. When I felt like my voice did not matter so I tried to stay humble, reserve, and quiet.

When I did not believe in what I stood for or that I am meant for bigger things.

These were also the time when I would listen to others, who were in hindsight no where I aspire to be in a few years, and ask them advice on life.

To prove this point, I recall at a hospital job in high school, before reading the TMF , thinking that everyone loved their work so I asked for "tips on college and university"...

With dead eyes, many of them gave me the same ol' "go to a good university and have fun, then get a well paying job" monologue.

Then shortly after, everyone rushed toward the door when it was time to clock out without batting an eye to those around them. Talk about "a loving environment" every 16 year old should to be in.

I was confused as f*ck, what they advised me would have me ending up the same as them in a few years.

Rushing for the door everyday.

For the rest of my life.

Considering all of this, I believe having, or rather accepting and embracing, an ego is imperative,

If you know what you want and who you are, in being able to stand with unparalleled conviction for your beliefs and value.

Everyone else will push their beliefs and worldview onto you with their limited beliefs and failures, and if your reality isn't strong enough, your ego not calloused enough, you will doubt your vision.

And self doubt is the enemy in my opinion, not the ego.

Of course, that doesn't mean be arrogant and pompous. I don't think anyone enjoy the company of a jerk. It just mean you should believe in yourself and what you stand for more than whatever junk people throw at you most of the time.

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Everybody worships something. Choose your god well or search for God well; these are your only options.

 

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[mikecarlooch]

I feel there is a positive and negative side of Ego, my 2 cents.

You need healthy Ego to have self esteem and confidence at the same time they must come with credentials of actions and make you more humble, Muhammad Ali made himself the person he was due to his Ego, that was good although he appeared cocky in his boxing days but he had positive ego working for him.

Hitler had huge Negative Ego, worked in his favour for some time but ultimately destroyed him, his logic was he was born superior, being superficial doesn't help.

Postive ego is necessary, to avoid inferiority complex, positive ego is backed by actions which aren't immoral, unethical.

Negative Ego is to be avoided at all costs, it is backed by superficiality and little action and often has negative behaviours attached with them such as narcissism, jealousy, anger, hatred, leading to justifying themselves as superiors.

You're so right - negative ego definitely exists

 

[mikecarlooch]

I'm also still learning and my ego gets in to way sometime too, but I'd say I'm 10x better where I am now accepting my ego than pretending not to have one.

Some of the worst time in my life has been when I felt ashamed for having an ego. When I felt like my voice did not matter so I tried to stay humble, reserve, and quiet.

When I did not believe in what I stood for or that I am meant for bigger things.

These were also the time when I would listen to others, who were in hindsight no where I aspire to be in a few years, and ask them advice on life.

To prove this point, I recall at a hospital job in high school, before reading the TMF , thinking that everyone loved their work so I asked for "tips on college and university"...

With dead eyes, many of them gave me the same ol' "go to a good university and have fun, then get a well paying job" monologue.

Then shortly after, everyone rushed toward the door when it was time to clock out without batting an eye to those around them. Talk about "a loving environment" every 16 year old should to be in.

I was confused as f*ck, what they advised me would have me ending up the same as them in a few years.

Rushing for the door everyday.

For the rest of my life.

Considering all of this, I believe having, or rather accepting and embracing, an ego is imperative,

If you know what you want and who you are, in being able to stand with unparalleled conviction for your beliefs and value.

Everyone else will push their beliefs and worldview onto you with their limited beliefs and failures, and if your reality isn't strong enough, your ego not calloused enough, you will doubt your vision.

And self doubt is the enemy in my opinion, not the ego.

Of course, that doesn't mean be arrogant and pompous. I don't think anyone enjoy the company of a jerk. It just mean you should believe in yourself and what you stand for more than whatever junk people throw at you most of the time.

being someone who's struggled with self doubt, I agree with you. When I got over self doubt and started having extreme confidence, it was definitely due to my ego. Although in previous post as I said - the negative ego has pushed me in a lot of bad directions too

 

[Mathuin]

I refuse to listen to a single word that Ryan Holiday has to say about anything.



This is the supposed "Stoic leader" who wrote an open letter begging his father not to vote Trump because "orange man bad", sounding like a 14 year old white girl with his emotional arguments.

Dear Dad, Please Don’t Vote For Donald Trump This Time - RyanHoliday.net

Hey Dad, Our relationship is strained. It feels like it has been for a while. For the last four years, there has been an elephant in the room—I’d joke and call it an orange elephant, but I’m nervous that might end this earnest conversation before it even begins. Have I changed? I mean, yes, of...

ryanholiday.net

I have always found it funny how the people who also praise and recommend "Ego Is The Enemy" always seem to have the most narcissistic social media profiles.

Ego is The Enemy to Ryan Holiday's business model because anyone with a strong ego realizes they don't need to read 15 books and 10 $99 courses from some pencilneck huckster to improve their life.

With re to your question, it's typical self-help binary thinking.

Too much ego turns you into an unlikeable a**hole.
Too little ego makes you high-five your wife's boyfriends.



This is an interesting take that I agree with. Back at the height of the Coovid madness, people would always the ones that refused to comply with the authoritarian BS "self-centered narcissists".

I've been working on increasing my ego as I felt in the past I've been too humble. Life is already improving.

 

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[mikecarlooch]

I refuse to listen to a single word that Ryan Holiday has to say about anything.

View attachment 43819

This is the supposed "Stoic leader" who wrote an open letter begging his father not to vote Trump because "orange man bad", sounding like a 14 year old white girl with his emotional arguments.

Dear Dad, Please Don’t Vote For Donald Trump This Time - RyanHoliday.net

Hey Dad, Our relationship is strained. It feels like it has been for a while. For the last four years, there has been an elephant in the room—I’d joke and call it an orange elephant, but I’m nervous that might end this earnest conversation before it even begins. Have I changed? I mean, yes, of...

ryanholiday.net

I have always found it funny how the people who also praise and recommend "Ego Is The Enemy" always seem to have the most narcissistic social media profiles.

Ego is The Enemy to Ryan Holiday's business model because anyone with a strong ego realizes they don't need to read 15 books and 10 $99 courses from some pencilneck huckster to improve their life.

With re to your question, it's typical self-help binary thinking.

Too much ego turns you into an unlikeable a**hole.
Too little ego makes you high-five your wife's boyfriends.

View attachment 43820

This is an interesting take that I agree with. Back at the height of the Coovid madness, people would always the ones that refused to comply with the authoritarian BS "self-centered narcissists".

I've been working on increasing my ego as I felt in the past I've been too humble. Life is already improving.

Thank you for bringing this up… very interesting to see this

 

[MTF]

I refuse to listen to a single word that Ryan Holiday has to say about anything

I lost all respect for him when he did all the things you mentioned, particularly crying about c19 like a little bitch. He demonstrated how he doesn't live like a Stoic at all because he had zero emotional control. I read his books prior to that and now refuse to read anything else.

Engage in bullshit politics and that's how you lose readers. I used to love reading Stephen King's books and now I can't read them because he's gone crazy about politics as well and puts political comments into every single novel, alienating at least 50% of his readers.

As for the ego - I personally believe in being humble and not thinking you're great. I don't mean being fake humble or being a doormat but simply being a good guy who doesn't act superior but also knows his worth.

I can't spend time with people with big egos because they dominate conversations and turn everything into a competition or constantly brag. So that's definitely undesirable from my point of view. But so is being a guy who thinks that everyone else is better than he is. It makes you easy to manipulate.

 

[Danny_Cox]

Everybody worships something. Choose your god well or search for God well; these are your only options.

Almost everybody. It is possible to ditch worship, belief, searching; live entirely in direct experience and evidence.

 

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[Danny_Cox]

I echo the general sentiment of the thread—ego is a mixed bag. It's a powerful motivator for coming out of apathy, but then as we develop higher ideals (ie compassion) it's less appropriate.

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Almost everybody. It is possible to ditch worship, belief, searching; live entirely in direct experience and evidence.

You're your own god then, congratulating yourself on your ability to stay present.

 

[Lex DeVille]

 

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[StrikingViper69]

Ego and arrogance are often conflated to mean the same thing, when they are very different.

Ego is knowing what you are realistically capable of, arrogance is thinking you are more capable than you are. Unfortunately, people who are capable of great things are often labelled as arrogant when they recognise the extent of the their ability.

"The Six Pillars of Self Esteem" is a great book that deals with self-esteem and ego.

 

[Jerma]

Ego and arrogance are often conflated to mean the same thing, when they are very different.

Ego is knowing what you are realistically capable of, arrogance is thinking you are more capable than you are. Unfortunately, people who are capable of great things are often labelled as arrogant when they recognise the extent of the their ability.

That reminds me of something in the book I'm currently reading. In "The Magic of Thinking Big," the author proposed the following exercise :

Let's say you are working in a big company. Tell your friends and coworkers that you will become the company's CEO one day. They will probably laugh at you or think you are arrogant. Then tell the CEO the same thing, and he won't laugh. He might not like it, but he won't laugh. Instead, he will take a closer look at you and evaluate you. Because he knows that it's possible to become the CEO (he did it).

Big men do not laugh at big ideas.

You need some ego to have big ideas because you need to believe in yourself before having proof. You need to believe in yourself even when most people don't. You need to believe that you can grow and learn and overcome obstacles.

 

[mikecarlooch]

I lost all respect for him when he did all the things you mentioned, particularly crying about c19 like a little bitch. He demonstrated how he doesn't live like a Stoic at all because he had zero emotional control. I read his books prior to that and now refuse to read anything else.

Engage in bullshit politics and that's how you lose readers. I used to love reading Stephen King's books and now I can't read them because he's gone crazy about politics as well and puts political comments into every single novel, alienating at least 50% of his readers.

As for the ego - I personally believe in being humble and not thinking you're great. I don't mean being fake humble or being a doormat but simply being a good guy who doesn't act superior but also knows his worth.

I can't spend time with people with big egos because they dominate conversations and turn everything into a competition or constantly brag. So that's definitely undesirable from my point of view. But so is being a guy who thinks that everyone else is better than he is. It makes you easy to manipulate.

Interesting take thanks for responding martin - Also, wanted to get your input: are you a believer in visualization/setting insane goals? Or are you more in the zone of looking for what's possible to move forward in the present moment?

 

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[mikecarlooch]

Ego and arrogance are often conflated to mean the same thing, when they are very different.

Ego is knowing what you are realistically capable of, arrogance is thinking you are more capable than you are. Unfortunately, people who are capable of great things are often labelled as arrogant when they recognise the extent of the their ability.

"The Six Pillars of Self Esteem" is a great book that deals with self-esteem and ego.

That's a great way to look at it.. I'll check out this book

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Just to reiterate what others have said... Ryan Holiday is very un-stoic. As much as I dislike the guy, Bill Clinton is a better example of a stoic, or Trump, or many other people who face constant criticism and hate and just keep on going. Holiday whines and whines...

Anyway I think ego can be used for good or bad, it's more complicated than that

 

[MTF]

Interesting take thanks for responding martin - Also, wanted to get your input: are you a believer in visualization/setting insane goals? Or are you more in the zone of looking for what's possible to move forward in the present moment?

These days I find it hard to think in terms of big long-term goals that are very detached from the present moment so I prefer to plan goals for no more than a few months ahead. More specifically, I focus on routines instead of visualization/insane goals. Stuff like train MMA 3x a week, run once a week, study this or that 30 minutes a day.

 

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[Kevin88660]

I got a kick in the face recently from a book I read called Ego Is The Enemy

Most of my life since the beginning of highschool I've been extremely egotistical. I'm not afraid to admit it because It's true.

A lot of people have told me it's a bad thing, and some tell me it's a good thing to be optimally delusional.

I feel like ego is one of the things that has put me on a desperate path for entrepreneurship before I knew what fastlane was. Before finding MJ's books, my goal was all about proving myself and being better than other people.. probably because as a kid in middle school I was super belittled.

Being belittled in middle school and some of highschool, along with a few other things, gave me "purpose" for crazy goals in entrepreneurship..

Ego has driven me into tons of good habits, and new hobbies, such as martial arts, reading, yoga, bodybuilding, meditation, deep work, entrepreneurship, ego was the thing that drove me to invest in crypto and basketball cards before they exploded.

But at the same time, ego forced me to make a lot of horrible decisions. ego was the thing that got me to move out of my parents house a week after high school without any plans or any idea how to start a business because I made some money with investing and thought I was invincible, ego made me act like I was better than people and then feel super guilty about the way I acted, ego put me through periods of time where I talked a lot but took no action.

But I'm not sure how to feel about ego. If I look back at my life, ego has been the thing that is constantly progressing me mentally and making me smarter and more skilled, and it's also been the reason for some really stupid decisions along the way.

I wanted to ask you guys on here.. Where do you draw the line with ego? Should I continue embracing egotism? Or should I take the necessary steps to destroy my ego? Or half and half?

This may be my ego speaking right now.. But do you guys think that ridding myself of ego could destroy insane ambitions and mess up future goals?

I don't know how to feel about it. But the number one thing I took away from the book Ego Is The Enemy is that talk is cheap and results are all that matter.

Anyways, what's your thoughts on this? Is Ego a driver for success? Or a path to nothingness?

Being competitive and not wanting to lose is good. Being close minded and rejecting criticism is bad.

 

[Johnny boy]

A little excerpt from one of the greatest philosophers of the 21st century:

The Importance of Having a Big Ego

Everyone loves a humble guy. That’s because no one has to compete with a humble guy. Everyone hates a big ego guy, because a big ego guy points out your own shortcomings, lack of skill, desire, heart, dedication and discipline.

All champions have big egos. Without a big ego they would have never become a champion. They would have been just like Joe Average crying about the ego of Chuck Champion.

Ego isn’t a bad thing. Ego is a must. A big ego is just high self-esteem. All champions have egos. It’s the ankle-biters at the bottom who cry about “humility being a virtue.”

You cannot be a competitor, and a winner, without ego. The desire to be a winner at all costs is what drives champions. To a champion, losing is worse than anything else. Losing is too damaging to the ego.

When champions lose their ego and become humble is when they start their decline. You know what’s humbling? Losing. Losing is humiliating. Winners don’t lose. Only losers lose.

Here is the real deal about humility: You show it to your superiors. You do not show it to your inferiors. Champions have no superiors.

Humility is for the humble. They can have it. Show me a guy who has no ego and I’ll show you a guy who’s comfortable taking 7th place out of 7 contestants. I’ll show you a guy who’s comfortable with the taste of shit in his mouth. You cannot be competitive and not have any ego. You can be non-competitive and have no ego, but so what. That means you are a spectator. That means you’re a critic.

When you want to learn something that’s when you can be humble. When you’re already King Shit you can act like it.

If humility were truly a virtue we would turn on our TVs and worship humble and dirty street beggars, on their knees begging and crying for pennies, instead of worshiping big ego, 7 sports stars, actors and TV personalities. Don’t confuse braggadocio with ego. Ego is the all-consuming desire to win, to not lose, and pushing yourself past the limit to do it. Bragging is arrogance and empty boasting. Ego is pride.

You’ve got to have ultra-confidence in yourself in your specific field. You can be humble all day about the shit you don’t know anything about, but when it comes to your area of expertise you should be Top Dog, King Shit, Cock of the Walk, A-#1, Big Man on Campus. You can feed the ankle-biters some scraps every now and again, after you’ve eaten your fill.

Be proud of your accomplishments. Whatever they may be. If someone complains about your ego just ignore them. Don’t let them drag you on down to loser-town. They say: “You’re so full of yourself!” You say: “Thank you for the compliment.

 

[Mathuin]

A little excerpt from one of the greatest philosophers of the 21st century:

The Importance of Having a Big Ego

Everyone loves a humble guy. That’s because no one has to compete with a humble guy. Everyone hates a big ego guy, because a big ego guy points out your own shortcomings, lack of skill, desire, heart, dedication and discipline.

All champions have big egos. Without a big ego they would have never become a champion. They would have been just like Joe Average crying about the ego of Chuck Champion.

Ego isn’t a bad thing. Ego is a must. A big ego is just high self-esteem. All champions have egos. It’s the ankle-biters at the bottom who cry about “humility being a virtue.”

You cannot be a competitor, and a winner, without ego. The desire to be a winner at all costs is what drives champions. To a champion, losing is worse than anything else. Losing is too damaging to the ego.

When champions lose their ego and become humble is when they start their decline. You know what’s humbling? Losing. Losing is humiliating. Winners don’t lose. Only losers lose.

Here is the real deal about humility: You show it to your superiors. You do not show it to your inferiors. Champions have no superiors.

Humility is for the humble. They can have it. Show me a guy who has no ego and I’ll show you a guy who’s comfortable taking 7th place out of 7 contestants. I’ll show you a guy who’s comfortable with the taste of shit in his mouth. You cannot be competitive and not have any ego. You can be non-competitive and have no ego, but so what. That means you are a spectator. That means you’re a critic.

When you want to learn something that’s when you can be humble. When you’re already King Shit you can act like it.

If humility were truly a virtue we would turn on our TVs and worship humble and dirty street beggars, on their knees begging and crying for pennies, instead of worshiping big ego, 7 sports stars, actors and TV personalities. Don’t confuse braggadocio with ego. Ego is the all-consuming desire to win, to not lose, and pushing yourself past the limit to do it. Bragging is arrogance and empty boasting. Ego is pride.

You’ve got to have ultra-confidence in yourself in your specific field. You can be humble all day about the shit you don’t know anything about, but when it comes to your area of expertise you should be Top Dog, King Shit, Cock of the Walk, A-#1, Big Man on Campus. You can feed the ankle-biters some scraps every now and again, after you’ve eaten your fill.

Be proud of your accomplishments. Whatever they may be. If someone complains about your ego just ignore them. Don’t let them drag you on down to loser-town. They say: “You’re so full of yourself!” You say: “Thank you for the compliment.

That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. Where's this excerpt from?

 

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[Angler]

B&D, PM Johnny and he'll send you a copy

 

[Mathuin]

B&D, PM Johnny and he'll send you a copy

Thanks, I have read some of B&D (Johnny sent me this previously). Wasn't sure what to think of VP as he has since gone off the rails a bit and the first part I read did sound pretty bro-markety but will definitely read the PDF.

 

[mikecarlooch]

When champions lose their ego and become humble is when they start their decline. You know what’s humbling? Losing. Losing is humiliating. Winners don’t lose. Only losers lose.

So true.. Conor McGregor for example. As soon as he became humble he started losing and became less entertaining.

 

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[heavy_industry]

You can't remove the ego, because it's a built-in psychological mechanism. Whether it's good or bad, it depends entirely on how you use it. Just like any other tool.

• You can use your ego to be proud of yourself and your work, and add fuel to the fire to work even harder to achieve your goals.
• Or you can use your ego as a shield to hide from the truth, become delusional, and destroy your business and life.

And:

• The top performers in the world have huge egos - ones which are built on genuine achievements.
• But the biggest losers have huge egos as well. They don't want to hear anything that would upset their ego. And they refuse to take even the smallest of steps to improve their life, because they are above that.

It depends entirely on how you implement it.
But in any case, you should be the one that controls your ego, not the other way around.

 

[Gepi]

First, there are many definitions of ego. I like to loosely separate them by "delusional", "helpful" and "beyond the ego". This also relates to what @heavy_industry wrote, but I see it a bit differently.

A delusional ego keeps you from seeing the real "you", you don't know anything about yourself and make up all kinds of false assumptions about who "you" are.

A stabile ego that is built on genuine success I wouldn't really call ego anymore, but being truthful about what you can and can't do. The more you learn about yourself and about how to be effective in this world, the more realistic will your outlook towards yourself and others become.

If you dissolve your ego completely, eventually you will accept all circumstances exactly as they are. It is in no way impossible to have success while putting your ego aside, because the more you let go of this false sense of ego, the more you will see things as they are, and the better the choices will be that you make. You will become very empathetic and you will develop a genuine sense of well-being within you, no matter the surroundings. But beware, of course it could also be that you will lose interest in money, success, or any other materialistic thing, once you will go deep enough. This doesn't mean that success doesn't come to you once you made these positive changes. It may even be much easier than before. But it can also become less meaningful, once you've realized the fleeting nature of all things.

It is your choice how much you want to learn about your true nature.