"The mixed martial arts pioneer and multi-title champion Frank Shamrock has a system he trains fighters in that he calls plus, minus, and equal. Each fighter, to become great, he said, needs to have someone better that they can learn from, someone lesser who they can teach, and someone equal that they can challenge themselves against"

 Idea #3 - Learn, Teach, Challenge

"Talk depletes us. Talking and doing fight for the same resources. Research shows that while goal visualization is important, after a certain point our mind begins to confuse it with actual progress. The same goes for verbalization"

Idea #2 - Talk less, Do more

"What is rare is not raw talent, skill, or even confidence, but humility, diligence, and self-awareness."

Idea #1 - Learn to Learn

This has been (and still sometimes is) a problem of mine. I would always talk about the new cool thing that Im starting to whoever would listen. This created real problems for me because this verbalisation of what I was doing (or planned to do) felt like actual progress to my brain. This meant that I felt less motivated to work and to take action towards the goal because In my mind I had already done so by speaking about it. In contrast, now I only ever talk about what I'm working on to 1-2 people who are closest to me. Unless I'm far enough into the project where I feel it is safe to share

Idea #2 - My Understanding

These are a few snippets from ego is the enemy which got me thinking and writing. These were useful and actionable for me so will also likely be useful to others who share similar interests. I will first write out the quote in plain unedited format for those who don't care about what I have to say, but will add my own understanding in an idea below for those who would like to hear my view. enjoy

Quotes from 'Ego Is the Enemy' By Ryan Holiday

What I took from this was the realisation that my priorities were not straight because I was focussing too much on improving my so called "skills". This is not necessarily a bad thing, but while doing so I was not thinking at all about improving the traits that lead to being a person who actually can improve and grow. Having traits like Ryan mentioned (Humility, self awareness, etc...) are more important then just trying to improve in one specific area because these are traits that actually allow you to be a good learner and have the ability to grow and improve

Idea #1 - My Understanding

I agree with this fully. The biggest takeaway for me from this was an idea that has been drilled into me by various people and mentors. This is the idea of teaching - to learn. There was a study which proved this point where students who were asked to learn a topic with the intention to teach it to others did better on a test then those who just studied the topic normally. This is because when our intention is to teach, we aim to understand the subject fully instead of just memorising terms and ideas. This alone has allowed me to learn and actually understand, more then I could have ever hoped

Idea #3 - My Understanding

Some of my main takeaways from Ego Is the Enemy

The instant Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestseller “While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” —from the prologue Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back. Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by con­quering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well. In an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”

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The instant Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestseller “While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” —from the prologue   Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.   Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by con­quering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.   In an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”

Ryan Holiday is media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under the strategist Robert Greene, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, where his work in advertising was internationally known. His strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube, and Google, and have been written about in AdAge, the New York Times, Gawker, and Fast Company. He is the author is *Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator*, which is due out in July. He currently lives in New Orleans, with his rebellious puppy, Hanno.