Egonomics by David Marcum & Steven Smith

Mar 1, 2009 by Robert A Henru

I have just finished reading the book “egonomics”. It shares about what makes ego our greatest asset (or most expensive liability).

I have bought this book many months ago. It was the result of impulse buying. It’s discounted yet still expensive, even worse when I checked out that the price was getting cheaper in other stores. It was funny that because of the regret, I left the book on the shelf for a long time.

Ego… I thought it was limitation that I can turn into advantages – just like the former motto of this blog, “Turning Limitation into Advantages”. I bought the book with the expectation that it will support my perspective. Alas, the book shared more of how ego is expensive liability rather than asset.

I guess it will be much better to say that the book taught me to manage the ego.

Ego gives you problem when you start noticing its early warnings, those are being comparative, being defensive, showcasing brilliance, and seeking acceptance. Rather than sticking to it, the author has given much guidance on how we can direct ego to something better, those are humility, curiosity, and veracity.

If I have to pick a summary that describes those 3 traits, it will say “detaching our identity from ideas”. You will be amazed at the tremendous power you’ve got if you are secure on your identity. We don’t have to prove how good (or how bad) we are. It’s neither over or lack of confidence, but we have intelligent and genuine self-respect and respect of others (humility).

Humility does not mean gentle and soft, humility can be intense. The intensity to protect our identity can be replaced to the intensity to progress and solutions. Rather than protecting and assuming we know all things, humility will be willing to seek for more answers (curiosity).

Humility will also lead to the desire for truth and stick with it (veracity). We are happy to be corrected when we are detached from our identity. It’s part of our desire to progress, to learn from the truth and what we have mistaken. And even further, to stick with the truth, throughout the process of growing and improving.

This article is a simple summary of the book. I can say that the book speaks so much to my life as it speaks to the circumstances I am in right now. It is the circumstance created by my ego, and something that I have to learn to change.

Grab the book with the link above if you found that it’s important to work on your ego.

For your success,
Robert