“Ego stops you from getting things done and getting people to work with you. That’s why I firmly believe that ego and success are not compatible.” Harvey Mackay, Businessman & Columnist
Introverts and extroverts are the two opposite sides of the social coin. Introverts draw emotional energy from quiet and solitude; interaction tends to drain them of energy. Extroverts draw energy from interaction with others. They lose energy when they’re alone and can’t interact.
Neither introvert nor extrovert is immune from the imbalance that springs from ego. An inflated ego makes introverted people sly and jealous, putting others down behind their backs. Egotistical introverts will be quiet and smug, always trying to prove how smart they are. They never accept blame for errors or misfortunes. An oversized ego tends to make extroverts brash, vain, and loud. They love to criticize and to exaggerate their own virtues and the flaws in others. They are show-offs and like to control others.
Egocentric people are ultimately the losers, because they have problems in their personal lives and relationships. Though they can be successful in their careers, they will not be liked as leaders. Egotistical people with both introverted and extroverted tendencies have difficulty balancing their lives, because the negative energy they create erodes their efforts.
An oversized ego will make you insensitive to others, and it will harm your relationships. When egotism is present, love is absent, and without love there is no trust, and trust is the basis for any relationship.
When you block out learning because you think you know it all, it will limit your capacity to be open, to upgrade your knowledge, or to achieve real wisdom. You may possess huge amounts of knowledge, but it has less worth than the wisdom you’ll gain by accepting the fact that what you know is dwarfed by what you still don’t know and will never master, no matter how long you live.
(Adapted from the book, “Life Balance the Sufi Way” by Azim Jamal & Dr. Nido Qubein)