Whenever you have one of those inevitable ego moments, thinking to yourself what you could have achieved, how much you might be earning, whose former office and job title you could be brandishing, you should stop yourself and hit the ego reboot button.
Ego is a natural and healthy thing, but to make sure the influence of your ego stays positive, you need to focus it correctly. This is what the Ego Reboot is all about.
The process of getting back on track begins with pausing to recognize that you’re starting to fall down the rabbit hole of an egotistical fantasy— otherwise known as an ego trip.
Then think honestly about the day-to-day nitty-gritty that you would have to endure to even have a shot of achieving whatever accolade or position your ego is driving you to think about. Think about the hours, the bosses, the meetings, the exhaustion, and all the other things we already know too well.
Finally, visualize one (or more) of the positive, tangible things that taking a different approach to your life makes possible. It might be a morning run, dinner with your kids, or simply having time to read a book. The trick is to actually picture these things in your mind.
So, the three steps of the Ego Reboot:
1. Pause and Recognize that you’re going on an ego trip.
2. Realize the Day-to-Day Reality of what you’re fantasizing about.
3. Visualize the Positives of newfound free time and a more balanced life.
As with anything else, if you practice this three-step process a few times it will start to become natural, and in time, your ego’s yearning for the things it previously valued will be transformed into a feeling of satisfaction with the new positives that you’ve earned.