The Battle of Ego vs Pride: Letting Go & Winning

Have you ever felt like your ego and pride were in constant combat, with neither willing to back down? Maybe you’ve experienced the sinking feeling of realizing that letting go is actually winning. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s an essential part of personal growth.

In this article, we’re going to explore the differences between ego and pride, how they impact our lives, and how learning to let go can help us win in areas where we previously struggled. So put on your thinking caps (or don’t if that’s too much effort), grab a coffee (or whatever drink tickles your fancy), and get ready for some serious introspection (cue dramatic music).

What even are Ego & Pride?

Before we dive into the battle royale between these two concepts, let’s take a moment first to define what they are.

Ego

Ego refers to our sense of identity or self-importance. It encompasses things like our beliefs about ourselves, values systems or personalities. Everything which influences who we see ourselves as falls under this category.

Having a healthy ego is not necessarily problematic and helps us maintain our sense of individuality. However; when an ego becomes out-of-control it leads one to believe that their own interests matter more than anything else – no matter whether other individuals’ needs are involved or not- leading towards conflict arising all-around.

Pride

Unlike Ego, pride has got nothing related with self-worth; instead refers mainly towards feelings associated with accomplishment from past deeds/having accomplished something noteworthy at present point-in-time – accomplishments could be great feats such as obtaining degrees/qualifications or small successes e.g doing well during presentation at office work etc…

But yeah… sound confusing right? Let’s jump straight into how both these can fight over control in our lives leading to battles of all kinds – on personal/professional fronts.

The Battle: Ego vs Pride

It’s a difficult (and sometimes hilarious) battle when these two forces clash. They may have different motivations, but they can both be equally damaging if left unchecked.

How Ego plays its tricks

Egos operate under the belief that it is always right and unflappable- meaning; any wrongdoings should lead people doubting yourself instead of questioning your actions/maybe accepting responsibility for mistakes made. This can become problematic in relationships with others because rather than learning from what we did, constructive criticism is seen as a threat and leads us into justifications.

Ever been in an argument where neither side wants to budge? That’s ego at work.

Also completely oblivious whether advice/opinions offered by others could be useful or truthful since our sole motive revolves around seeing oneself successful leaving no room for improvements/suggestions…

Pride on Another Side

On another end, Pride, given the accomplishments people owning up those things get even tougher- seeing them ‘let go’ becomes challenging due to fear of being labelled/considered lesser than before. Not acknowledging bad habits/clear weaknesses proves immensely harmful affecting performance/reputation long run despite repeated reminders from co-workers/colleagues about improvement areas/weaknesses….

The bottom line here is that while some amount pride may help with motivation, going too far can sabotage progress entirely! It leads towards not observing flaws present within ourselves causing hurdles moving forward/growth.

Put simply: Both ego & pride are common attributes found in humans which have potential benefits but need appropriate ‘limiters’ containing their influence on individuals keeping balance between both.

Why Letting Go Matters?

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of trying to prove something or holding onto past success… letting go might seem like giving up/dumping all life goals. While that might be momentarily painful, letting go can actually make things much better in the long run.

Benefits of Letting Go:

• Concentration on becoming best version of oneself.
• Self-improvement leads to immense personal satisfaction rather fighting for sense of self-worth.
• Better performance when ego is locked away in a drawer and pride kept at bay giving room for improvements/ constructive feedback based alterations.

Here are some fantastic examples showing how letting go helped others thrive:

Case 1: Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is one person who’s testament to this – he gave up fame/reputation which he was well-equipped with from the movie industry reaching great heights yet he chose not staying beholden only towards ‘achievements’. Instead; focusing life around defeating inner doubts/anxieties haunted him became his focus area leaving behind conventional success criteria…

The end result? Greater Control Over Himself With Complete Ownership Of Life. Something that wouldn’t have been possible if his Ego, or Pride (or both) just let him sit back “relaxing” about past deeds instead embracing transformational power reside over ourselves…

Case 2: Sarah Genova

Sarah Genova’s example further serves our point! She also focused extensively pursuing her passion while keeping aside other thoughts surrounding perceived “success” metrics – such as lucrative job positions/having more money than usual etc… The reason why she excelled long-run largely comes down interest being primarily turned toward doing what made herself feel happy irrespective peoples’ perception rather achieving popularity among peers by owning big houses/cars/travelling places..

Both stood against fear pushing limits continuously leading form an unstoppable synergy within their way forwarding bringing them significantly successful outcomes first seeing themselves beyond external pressures expecting them attain/display specific pre-built skill sets/success metrics.

As mentioned above both had nullified restrictive feelings associated with “How/What will They Say About Me” staying true to what more important in life rather than comparing themselves against popular formal yardsticks besides truly embracing change being driven towards personal goals…

It’s All About Finding Balance

While letting go sounds so liberating in theory, it can be tough to actually put into practice. So how exactly do we find the balance between ego and pride? Here are some tips & trick:

Tip #1: Be Self-Aware

Just like anything else related with self-improvement; recognizing/accepting default tendencies prone to ignoring criticism/being too invested in achievements worth figuring out before affecting personal/professional relationships. Run regular Check-Ins on oneself reflecting their own performance/self-conduct helps accordingly identifying areas requiring improvements.

Self-awareness is key here! Identifying underlying problems automatic/casual hand-bringing defensiveness thus transparent persona paving ways for gaining group/diverging perspectives…

Tip #2: Get Feedback From Others

It never hurts getting a second or third opinion from outside individuals during decision-making moments . Although may seem confronting stated feedback received when acted upon right could bring remarkable results, meaningful moves fostering growth every day/every moment!! Likewise seeking guidance around flow-charting steps involved setting intermediate objectives reaching far-end-goals proving instrumental of all processes involved.

Trick #3: Building Resilience

Resilience building comes down practicing Habit-Replacement-Offer-Shake-Out techniques favourably responding face uncertainty – instead rather divert attention towards meditation/Karate Exercises scheduled routines/time spent among nature etc.. coping mechanism making inner peace quietening “the noise” hindering aforementioned process forwards by settling resisting tasks waiting around corner (as an opportunity).

By gradually introducing healthy hobbies/outlets allowing chance comforting environment whenever things tend driving crazy lightened extended periods….

Claim time where one can silence everything around focusing minds clearly developed values urging them forward within hours becoming milestones along proposed path forwardness.

Trick #4: Let Others Take Credit, Just A Little

Giving credit when due or sometimes even not due could bring huge progress since success ( no matter how big-sized the same is) – with groups’/teams’ contributions Individuals input should consider themselves along making sure others knowing shares…Pride/Ego has more to do with insecurity/inadequacy rather than an actual representation of skillset capabilities applied.

By acknowledging other’s effort aspart your own give space for feedback/taking constructive criticism working proactively towards best version themselves!

So there you have it folks! The battle between ego and pride may never truly end, but learning to let go and finding balance can be a true game-changer in life. Keep these tips & tricks handy whenever feelings commonly lead to impulsive decisions overwhelmed mind by overwhelming sense of self-worth/formal achievements worth fighting over whatsoever.. Remember that just around corner – greater possibilities only waiting action beyond personal limitations / conditioning/mind-blocks imposed unconsciously limiting human potential!