A one-page recap of a 226-page book I could not put down

1. EGO is the ENEMY
Some of my favorites from Ryan Holiday's bestseller (adapted)
We're told to believe in our uniqueness, to be better
than, to think big, live big, to be memorable. It is
admirable to want to be better businessmen or
businesswomen, better athletes, better off financially, to
do great things
The Enemy
It is no less impressive to want to be real, to act and live
small, to be the best version of yourself, a happier
person, to be better balanced, to be stronger, to be
patient, to be rock-hard humble, modest and selfless.
Or better yet, all of these traits together.
Who do I want to be
Every day for the rest of your life you will find yourself at
one of 3 phases:
aspiration, success, failure.
You will battle the ego in each of them. You will make
mistakes in each of them. Success is ego intoxication
and failure can be a devastating ego blow
It is like sweeping the floor. Just because you've done it
once, doesn't mean the floor is cleaned forever. Every
day the dust comes back. You must sweep the floor
every minute of every day. And then sweep again. It will
help us be:
- Humble in our aspirations
- Gracious in our success
- Resilient in our failures
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool - Richard Feynman.
Your worst enemy already lives inside you: Ego is at the root of almost every conceivable problem or obstacle.
Our culture fans the flames of ego. We can announce big news on social media and let the congratulations roll in.
Ego tells us what we want to hear when we want to hear it but it is a magnet for enemies and errors.
The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice,
because it prevents us from getting any better. Most of
what you think you know is out of date or wrong
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Be humble, self-critical and relentlessly look for areas of
improvement. Be an eternal student.
Every man I meet is my master in some point, and in that, I
learn of him - R.W. Emerson
Passion, naivete may be the very thing holding you back.
Passion is for amateurs
You need purpose, poise, patience and realism: a clear,
deliberate and methodological determination,
detachment and perspective
The canvas strategy: provide the support others can
paint on. Clear the path for them and you will eventually
create a path for yourself. Be lesser, do more
Pride - even in real accomplishments - is a distraction Our ability to learn, to adapt, to be flexible, to build
relationships, all of this is dulled by pride
We surround ourselves with BS. With distractions. With
lies about what makes us happy and what's important.
The bigger the ego, the harder the fall
The fight club moment: it almost always comes from
an outside force; it involves things we knew but were too
scared to admit; from the ruin comes the opportunity for
great progress and improvement
www.philippebarzin.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippe-barzin