He later committed suicide leaving her in control of a business with thousands of employees and no training or experience to run a company.įamily and advisors told her to sell The Washington Post and use the money to retire to a comfortable life. Her husband ran the family newspaper until she discovered he was having an affair. Graham was born into wealth and privilege and was unprepared for the hardships she would endure. Graham faced hardships most people would be crushed by. One of the most moving stories in the book is about Katherine Graham, the remarkable woman who ran The Washington Post for over two decades. Ego Is the Enemy illustrates the successes and failures others have experienced and provides solutions to destructive ego issues. Ego wants to assert itself at the worst possible moments, when our pride is wounded and we want to control things we have no control over. Preparing mentally for these difficult times starts now, when we are able to think clearly and can condition our minds to handle tragedy.Įgo is in every one of us. Defeat does not define us, how we handle defeat does. No matter how hard we try, no matter how good we are, regardless out intentions, there will be times when things go very wrong. Steve Jobs was hurt when he was ousted from Apple by the board Charney destroyed the company in an avalanche of lawsuits so there will not be a company to come back to. Steve Jobs lost his company in a similar fashion, but took the opportunity to self-reflect and grow. He advised Charney, but Charney was in no mode for sound advice. Ryan Holiday was there to see American Apparel fail. By the time the fighting was done the company was gone. He filed lawsuits against American Apparel, the former CFO, and multiple board members. Eventually he was fired from his own company. Instead of practicing a Stoic mindset or taking honest advice, he doubled down, then tripled down on failed policies. The in-fighting and recriminations grew in intensity. Lawsuits began to unravel a fashion empire. The founder, Dov Charney, disintegrated before Holiday’s eyes while he worked as the Director of Marketing for the firm. Holiday watched up close and personal the destruction of an American company: American Apparel. By accepting you have enough you can put ego aside and live life for what it is worth. The lessons learned can help us lead a happier life without feelings of revenge, regret, or envy. Heavy Stoic teachings are woven into the narrative so you can take the lesson taught and apply it in your life, creating happiness without anxiety or worry.Įgo Is the Enemy is a blueprint to avoid the failures of great leaders from the past. Each story has you nodding your head as you see a piece of yourself in the mirror. His prolific reading and writing makes his storytelling hard to put down. There is a tinge of regret in the tone of Holiday as he gives examples of aspirations, success, and inevitable failures in life. Getting the media coverage needed to sell a book or a company requires manipulating blogs, both large and small. Billboards and press releases are not effective anymore according to Holiday. He has used underhanded methods of manipulating the media in the past to generate buzz. His uncanny ability to understand the media world we live in today has made him a master of the trade. In the past Holiday used his talents to create controversy around a product or book to bring attention and sales to the product. Next he worked with Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, and other authors such as Timothy Ferris and Tony Robbins. He worked with Tucker Max, using reverse psychology to create controversy and hence, sales. His drive and understanding of human nature allowed him to become a massive success at a young age. Holiday is not afraid to expand the narrative to include his own failures in life, bringing a personal touch to the lessons taught.Īt 29, Ryan Holiday has lived an eventful life filled with awesome successes and fantastic failures. He also gives examples of ego as it applies to aspirations and success. From the beginning to the end Holiday provides example after example of how ego has harmed great men and women over the ages. This is the best book I’ve read on living right since reading A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. This book is a guide on how to live life well with a healthy dose of Stoic philosophy so you can live happily too. From his personal experience and stories of great men and women from today and in history, Holiday outlines how the ego gets in the way of aspirations, success, and even failure in his latest book: Ego Is the Enemy. Ryan Holiday has come a long way since writing Trust Me, I’m Lying: The Tactics and Confessions of a Media Manipulator.
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