Sure it’s fun to have an ego, it’s fun to be arrogant and obnoxious and it’s also pretty fun to feel like you are the big man in the room. But you cannot let your ego steal all of your attention away from putting in the effort necessary to accomplish your most important goals, and anytime you feel obligated to show your ego in any situation, all everyone will see is your own insecurity that created this obligation in the first place.

Many people don’t even realize the difference between your true self and your ego. Your ego can actually hurt you more than it helps you. Think of your ego as a wall from reality that you are using to show people a different image of yourself that distracts you from all of your discomfort and fear.

Most people identify themselves as simply: me. But this is an enormous mistake—a mistake that is responsible for too much unnecessary suffering and emotional pain. It is critical that we acknowledge that our true selves and our egos are indeed separate entities. We must learn to know the difference between the two to attain success and peace of mind.

The ego is many things but mostly it is what holds you back from the truth, or what can be factually concluded as a result of any transpired event. It is what keeps you up at night with worry and it is the small voice in your head that is constantly telling you that you are not smart enough or tough enough to get what you want.

When you feel your spirit soaring, the ego rushes in and stops you. Your ego says, “you cannot do that,” or, “you cannot be what you dream to be.” Your ego will constantly tell you that you cannot accomplish the goals that you have set for yourself.

It wants you to feel that you are crazy for thinking you have what it takes to live the life you’ve always wanted. Your ego tells you to stay where you are, to stay where it is safe and secure. Your ego is always going to go with the easy way out when it is available because it doesn’t want you to experience any sort of reality more captivating than the world it creates inside your head.

Does this sound familiar? Do you recognize this voice? Have you heard it in your head? Yes, me too. We all have. And if we don’t know how to control it or tame it, it actually causes us to stay stagnant and be average because we never decide to step out of our comfort zone.

To get to the top you have to start from rock bottom and truly humble yourself. You are going to have to fail, go beyond your boundaries and experiment with different activities and approaches before you actually find your niche. This whole process is impossible to begin if you let your ego rule your life.

When you let go of your ego is when limit is lost and your potential for greatness becomes infinite. Anyone who is currently successful and has made a name for themselves didn’t do it with their ego by their side. They started at the most humble beginnings and didn’t worry what anyone decided to think about their plans. No one in the world will attack your pride and try to hold you back as much as your ego will.

However, the ego isn’t entirely malicious. It has more capabilities than simply causing you harm. What you must remember about the ego is that its powers are rooted in your own fears. Your ego cuts you down because, believe it or not, it is trying to protect you.

The ego believes that cutting you down will prevent you from failure, humiliation, pain and suffering. It knows that if you do not live, dream, take risks, and explore, you cannot get hurt. You can stay safe in your cocoon forever and your ego will be quite happy there with you. But you will never be happy because you haven’t allowed yourself to take control of your life and live by your own terms.

The only non-artificial counter to your ego is your true self. Your true self wants to watch you to overcome the fear, anxiety, oppression. There have been many small moments where you have caught a glimpse of your true self expressing satisfaction and triumph.

These are the moments we want to extend to an infinite length because the ego is completely non-existent. In that moment, there is no fear, no worry—there is only you: infinite, kind, beautiful you. That is what the rest of your life will feel like if you understand how you need to let go of your ego and stop worrying about things going wrong rather than trying to figure out how to get them to go right.

To rid yourself of this suffering when you are feeling it most, remember that it is created by your own insecurities and fears that you developed over time. Your ego is a part of you just like the other pieces of your body. You can never be completely void of the ego, but you can tame it and put it on a shelf that you don’t revisit because you don’t want it to get in the way of what you have going for you.

It is quite simple to tame the ego. You just need to overwhelm your mind with positivity, as those are the only thoughts that will help you get what you want in life. We as people need to stop thinking about the “what ifs” because it lets the ego tell us that we are going to fail at accomplishing what we were truly put on this earth to do.

Instead of pondering about how pointless or difficult the act of reaching your goal is, we should be devoting all of our time and energy towards thinking of different ways to make our dreams a reality. This comes with trial and error, with sacrifice, and with action. Ego is what holds us back from acting. It brings only negative thoughts which will of course lead to disappointing results.

Detach yourself from your ego and find the peace within you so that you can discover your true purpose in life. It might not happen on the first try, but if you keep thinking positively and ignoring the impulse to do the opposite, the tools for success will eventually come your way.

Preston Waters | Elite.