Is it possible to turn down the volume on your ego, without losing your self entirely?
It turns out that having a “quiet ego” isn’t just possible, it’s extremely beneficial. In this episode, I talk with psychologist and writer Scott Barry Kaufman about why having a quiet ego leads to a greater sense of well-being, self-esteem, and a feeling of meaning in your daily life.
Key takeaways from our conversation:
- Details on the four characteristics of the quiet ego personality: mindfulness, inclusivity, perspective-taking, and personal growth
- Why having compassion for yourself leads to a greater sense of humanity, tolerance, and self-actualization
- How your level of “openness to experience” relates to quieting the ego and enhanced creativity
- Why assertiveness is the secret ingredient needed to supplement the quiet ego
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Favorite Quotes
“Whenever you look at anyone who’s really performing at the upper echelons of achievement, you find they have transcended their self momentarily. They’re in this altered state of consciousness, where all of their defenses and self-critical thoughts and doubts are not holding them back. So when our ego is fully active, we are actually literally blocking our self-actualization.”
“It’s so important to come from a real sense of grounding and acceptance in yourself. Then, you can listen. People who don’t have a good grounding of what they actually believe and what their values are, are the ones to tend to have difficulty listening to anything that’s different.”
“It takes courage to truly dare to explore who you really are, not the fortress you’ve erected around who you really are.”
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Resources
A shortlist of the ideas & resources that we touched on in our conversation:
- The pressing need for everyone to quiet their egos
- This loving kindness meditation is a radical act of love
- Openness to experience: the gates to the mind
- Take Scott’s “characteristics of self-actualization” quiz
- “Tender discipline” and the concept of heart-centered productivity
- Introducing the “light triad” personality
- The role of luck in life success is far greater than we realized
- Can personality be changed?
- Follow Scott on: Blog | Twitter | Podcast
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