500 Words a Week - Ego

I go to a commercial gym to do accessories and use machines that are not in the weightlifting gym I go to. I enjoy this for the variety from the usual exercises I do. A moment in particular that had me thinking was a man doing some trap bar deadlifts. I will never speak a word of discouragement to anyone trying to improve themselves, but the bravado in which this man walked around the gym was frustrating. The weight on the bar was reasonable but in no way warranted the macho-man attitude that went with it.

While this person was resting between attempting to lift this weight, he would pace around the entire gym. I was on my way to return some dumbbells to the rack, when I seemed to have crossed the man’s walking route of the gym. Which he was not happy about and waved for me to get out of the way.

I am very comfortable in a gym setting, by and large because this is what I do. However, I thought that if I was someone new to the gym seeking to better myself, this experience would greatly put me off going.

Steady your ego.

It can be easy to forget about how our interactions affect others. It can be easy to allow our ego to bloat our pride and hide any form of self-awareness.

Would the man act this way in other situations? I learned early on in coaching that athletes see right through you when you aren’t being yourself or try to put on a facade to have better control of a group. Especially young athletes, who will always provide you with the best and honest feedback. This is something I am trying to expand out across all levels, in terms of staying authentic and expressing the same beliefs I value most, regardless of the situation.

“Just one thing keeps ego around – comfort” – Ryan Holiday

By remaining in our comfortable bubble and only pursuing or doing what we are comfortable at we never challenge our ego. A piece of advice I’d share with coaches just starting out is that if you’re thinking of doing something or are asked to do a task that scares you or makes you nervous you should do it. This is something I still try to do myself.

Ego is what keeps someone fighting so hard to win an argument that they can’t see everything that they are losing by winning it.

“There are two types of people: those who try to win and those who try to win arguments. They are never the same” – Nassim Taleb