Ego

Ego. We all have one. It speaks to our level of self esteem, how we view or assess ourselves. Some of us have a big one while others have one that is small. And, perhaps for many, the size of our ego varies in size depending upon our actions, what might be happening around us and what we perceive others might be saying or thinking about us. Ego is a tricky part of our psyche that we acknowledge is a big part of how we view ourselves despite the fact that many of us like to pretend otherwise. Any time I hear someone say they have no ego, I roll my eyes because I know better. We all have opinions of ourselves, want to feel about ourselves, and worry about how we come across to others. 

None of those above-comments represent new ground. But when it comes to ego, what I believe is worth noting is just how much of a role ego plays in our communication efforts. For instance, if I want others to think highly of me, then you can bet I am going to couch how I express myself accordingly. At the same time, if I have principles or values to which I strive to be true, then that, too, will help shape how I express myself. (The trick, of course, for all of us is to be consistent in how we communicate with others regardless of what our motivating force might be. Generally, people pick-up pretty quickly when we are not being true to ourselves or straight-forward with them.)

One particular point I wish to make in this entry is that there is no shame or cause for embarrassment in acknowledging that we often communicate with others in ways so as to not offend or turn-off. This, however, does not mean we should spend our days saying only what we believe others want to hear. The truth is our views may not be to everyone's liking or be received with nodding hands and high-fives. How we communicate should be driven by being respectful, truthful, and understandable. If we do that successfully on a consistent basis, then I would say the odds of our having a healthy and strong ego are very high.