“When I hear the word reactive, I just think of an unconscious behavior, an unconscious thought and an unconscious action, which really is what I refer to as the ego,” says leadership coach Christie Garcia in this episode of Brilliant Thoughts.
“Our ego is our unconscious brain that is usually motivated by old past beliefs, mindsets and things that—habits that—we aren’t even aware we’re doing,” she explains.
While identifying and understanding this reactivity is important, it’s equally important to take ownership of your actions and learn to control them. We live in a reactive world—our egos are feeding on everything from social media rants to news headlines, all designed to emotionally manipulate readers, according to Garcia. Egos can be a strength, but when left uncontrolled, they can unintentionally hurt those around us.
In order to begin taking conscious control, however, we have to want to change. We have to be willing to identify and own up to our behaviors, and take the time to manage them. It’s not a quick-and-easy process—in fact, it is one Garcia compares to going to the gym. It is something you work on a little bit every day, making lasting changes to your behavior that will allow you to show up for yourself, and those around you, in a far more productive manner.
Garcia and Brilliant Thoughts host Tristan Ahumada discuss becoming aware of your ego, the three types of ego and how to balance each of them.
Christie Garcia is a leadership coach and the founder of Mindful Choice Leadership Academy. Visit her website at mindfulchoiceacademy.com, and find a worksheet to improve your leadership with 1% more effort every day at mindfulchoiceacademy.com/success. You can follow Garcia on LinkedIn at Christie Garcia or Mindful Choice Leadership Academy, and on Instagram @mindfulchoice_.
Brilliant Thoughts with Tristan Ahumada is no longer releasing new episodes on the SUCCESS Podcast Network, but you can still listen to the full conversation below.
