Ego is not the enemy.

Self-respect is the ultimate life hack.

But before you respect yourself, you must defeat the bitch in you.

I’ve been there.
I’ve done that.

Let me tell you how: When you hear self-love you think delusion.

When you hear self-hatred you think depression.

And you’re wrong.

You’re not thinking in nuances and progress.

You reason in absolutes.

Which is not bad thing but you’re getting ahead of yourself.

Ego is what turns "trauma" and negative experiences into strength of character.

It's refusing to see yourself as a victim when nothing is going your way.

The case of Zlatan Ibrahimovic proves exactly that.

Zlatan was born in Sweden and comes from a modest family of immigrants.

He grew up in a dysfunctional household and his parents ended up divorcing.

His childhood was tough.

Broke and without strong family support, let's just say he wasn't "meant" to achieve much in life.

Somehow this guy managed to become a legend of football, a national superstar, and defy all the odds.

And that's because instead of pitying himself...

He saw his past experiences as something to be proud of.

"If I got through this, I'll get through anything" is what best describes his attitude.

He's been called arrogant, cocky, and many other things.

But nobody could ever doubt his competence.

Everywhere he went, he made an impact.

Zlatan is the perfect example that a strong ego makes wonders.

He knows his worth and he proves it every time.

At 18, he turned down a trial offer from Arsenal.

He still had to prove himself, but he took the trial invitation as an offense.

"Zlatan doesn't do auditions", he told them.

Now, you may see this as self-sabotage.

And you'd be dead wrong.

Because he wasn't desperate for validation.

Arsenal is a big club.

But he knew his talent and wasn't going to let them treat him like any other prospect.

Guess who regrets this now?

Not Zlatan.

He went on to play for much bigger clubs.

Zlatan is not just cocky.

He's a hard worker.

Because he knows that he can't get complacent and that as good as he can get, he'll never be perfect.

To quote him:

"I did many stupid things. I made many mistakes, but I learnt from everything. I still make mistakes; I still learn from them. Nobody is perfect."

This is not humility.

Everyone knows Humble is the last adjective that would fit him.

This is self-awareness.

And that's what makes his ego so strong and built his whole career.

Constant self-assessment.

Here is the best example.

In 2017, a 35-year-old Zlatan broke his knee.

At this age, most footballers are considered past their prime and finished.

An injury like this would have stopped the career of most players his age.

But not him.

The thing is:

He had nothing to prove anymore.

He had already achieved most of his dreams and won countless titles with different clubs.

He recovered in only 7 months and went on to play for another 6 years.

And he still won even more titles.

This is what he had to say when asked how he recovered so fast:

It sounds arrogant?

Sure.

But it goes to show how his internal drive plays into it.

Because he sees himself as this indestructible machine;

He forces himself to always outperform the odds.

The only thought that drove him to become what he is today is:

"I deserve better than this and I will go get it"

No blame.
No self-pity.
No victimization.

He focuses on himself and what he can do to improve.

The funny thing about it all?

Nobody hates Zlatan.

Everyone will tell you that ego destroys relationships.

But this guy is loved everywhere.

Instead of faking humility, Zlatan embraces his strength and doubles down on it.

Even those who think his arrogant still appreciate his straightforwardness and authenticity.

The Bottom Line:

You've all been programmed to think that ego and thinking highly of yourself are despicable and negative traits.

Many people are living examples that this is simply not true.

Can your ego be a problem?

Yes; if you deny it.

If you pretend to be something you're not out of insecurity?

That won't end well.

If you believe you can't get any better and you're at the absolute best you'll ever be?

You'll decay and lose your touch.

A healthy ego is about embracing progress.

Understanding that perfection does not exist.

The more you hold your self-belief back and try to smother it?

You'll always be in a conflict with yourself.

You could simply embrace your ego and work together hand in hand.

Nothing beats the power of self-image.
Nothing beats the power of a strong ego.

The case of Zlatan Ibrahimovic proves it.


Zero self-doubt:

How to Stop Giving a Fuck without Giving up on Life

A (serious) thread First understand this:

If you simply stop caring about everything?

You will get nowhere in life.

You will soon regret not taking things seriously.

The problem is that we tend to take almost everything TOO seriously.

There is work to be done.

Let me explain.

HOW TO BUILD A STRONG AND HEALTHY EGO: First off all:

Let's clear something up before the "what's your definition of ego" people show up.

Ego is not an entity that wants to sabotage you.
Ego is not a tool.
Ego is not vanity.
Ego is not something out of your control.
Ego is non of that.

Ego is this:

How to Stop Getting Offended

THREAD First things first:

Let's clear up the confusion.

If you get easily offended it means you're insecure.

Simple as that.

If you're insecure it means you're not in alignment with your ego.

Denying your ego makes it challenging to accept criticism or feedback.

How to Avoid Snapping and Keep your cool

A thread Displaying anger is rarely a good idea.

Of course, some situations call for it; some people simply do not understand anything but that.

But in most cases?

Bad move.

Unless it's calculated to get a message across;

You'll rarely see any benefit from losing your temper.

How José Mourinho's Ego Helped him Conquer The World

Thread Some call him The Special One others call him The Enemy of Football.

The perfect example of how a balanced and healthy ego can lead to success, Mourinho's journey is worth analyzing not only from a sports perspective but also in terms of character development.

How to Avoid Sabotaging Yourself in an Argument

A thread on what you should avoid: The Usual Disclaimer:

This is not an "ethical" or "morally correct" thread.

Miss me with that shit.

Let's start.

Once you decide to cut ties with someone, don't look back.

Don't give a second chance, don't second guess yourself.

Move on and turn the page.

Remove them from your existence. You disrespect yourself any time you open your door to someone who's repeatedly crossed the line with you.

There are boundaries that should not be crossed.

If you set them clearly and effectively yet find people crossing them, it simply means they have no respect for you.

Everyone is wrong about the Ego.

It doesn't mean what you think and it's actually a good thing.

Thread: When people hear the word ego, they often associate it with vanity or arrogance.

But in reality, ego is simply our sense of self.

It's how we perceive ourselves and our place in the world.

How to Be Likable Without Overdoing It

A thread Disclaimer:

The secret to being genuinely likable lies in the intention behind your approach. If your actions are driven by the intention of being a good person according to your own standards, these tips will work

If your intention is to be liked and seen, none of it will work

How to create genuine and long-lasting relationships without:

- Being fake
- Coming off as needy
- Manipulating people

A thread: Long lasting and healthy relationships are a lot more important than knowing how to manipulate others.

If anything, this is the cornerstone of social skills.

How you see yourself and the world defines how you interact with everything around you.

If you can figure out where you stand on this Matrix, you will know which areas of your life need improvement.

Let me introduce you to the OK Matrix. Before we get started, you can further explore these concepts by reading the book "I'm OK – You're OK" by Thomas Harris.

These are concepts from the field of psychology, communication, and behavior.

But I'll try to simplify them as much as possible.

23 Persuasion Principles That Make People Say 'Yes'

Thread: 1. Confusion: When people are confused or uncertain, they may be more open to persuasion as they search for answers and solutions.

2. Bonding: We are more likely to do something if our friends ask us to do it.

HOW TO FIND PURPOSE

THREAD Purpose is such an abstract concept.
Yet we all know what it means.

But what most people get wrong is asking themselves:

"What is my Purpose?"

Instead of asking:

"How do I find Purpose?"

I don't pretend to have the ultimate answer, but I believe that this framework can help.

How to prevent someone from thinking and forcing them to agree with you

A manipulation thread Before we start:

I am not liable nor responsible for how you use the content of this thread.

Gm, this looks like a good day to visit the zoo Chicken

There is nothing wrong with being competitive. What is wrong is envy and cheating.

But being competitive in the sense where you demand the absolute best from yourself is definitely good for you.

Without a strong ego, you will keep tolerating shitty behavior from people.
Without a strong ego, you will keep tolerating shitty behavior from yourself.
Without a strong ego, you will keep quitting because you won't be convinced that you can do it. Without a strong ego, you're relegated to a secondary role in your own life.

As always, let's make this distinction:

A strong ego does not mean an "inflated" ego.

I don't like that term anyway, because ego cannot be measured in size.

Forget about the word Focus.
Replace it with the word Absorption. When you're executing a task, no matter how small or very important it is; what you need to be doing is letting it absorb your attention.

Purposefully.

Losing motivation means you're losing touch with your vision. You're not grasping it as well as you did at the start. Such bottleneck points are necessary, they allow you to adjust and reconsider your choices and decisions. This adaptability allows you to deal with new given parameters that you couldn't have foreseen until you start following your initial plan.