Ego and Let Go

We in the corporate world are obsessed with ranks and titles, perks and privileges and pomp and show. The amount of emotional attachments we have to our ideas and responsibilities means we are forever trying to control the outcomes to our advantage. This translates into much grief and sorrow and, worse, damages our families, colleagues and ourselves as well.

I have often said: “We believe in God but we don’t trust Him”.

This is not to be taken as license to abdicate our responsibilities; rather, we need to do whatever is in our control to ensure the desired outcome. Then, leave the rest to “Divine intervention”. The major difficulty is in knowing where your sphere of influence ends and His starts.

The ego manifests itself in several ways but, seriously, what good is my rank and title if, for example, I were to be stuck in a lift or a traffic jam? And what good is it when I get home to family and friends? The positive about “ego” is that it allows us to draw boundaries around our rank and position within the corporate context, ensuring the respect and dignity of our exalted position. However, we need to be mindful of not carrying this to the extent that it comes in the way of our personal lives.

False humility may be the worst form of conceit while genuine humility means we are not “full of ourselves”.