Check your ego at the door

The ego is a peculiar thing. Philosophers, psychologists and scientists have all shared their views on the ego for centuries. The official explanation of the ego is that it's "a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance." It's a precious part of our being. A famous saying is that an ego-trip is a journey to nowhere. You're as good as the people you work with. We are all part of something bigger, so know your place. To quote one of my favourite modern poets "sit down, be humble".

Good advice, Kendrick. But even better advice for those who venture out on their own. Before I became a freelancer, I wasn't aware that the success of your business and your confidence level had a direct connection to each other. Every time you get a new client or a client asks for more, it gives you a confidence boost. Little did I realise that whenever I had no projects, my confidence plummeted. Getting hired means that people want you and believe that you do a good job. It's so obvious that this confirmation does wonders for your ego. The thing is, when I was still employed, I didn't get constant confirmation about how I was doing my job. You just do your tasks and finish your projects, and every once in a while you get a compliment, but it's a different type of compliment. When you're a freelancer or entrepreneur when you get new business; it's a direct affirmation. An affirmation of trust, of actually being good at something.

The direct relation between confidence and success makes sense. The thing is, you need to balance the two. So don't let your success make you overly confident where your ego becomes bigger than Harvey Spector's. Or Tony Stark's. Or whatever alpha man you had in mind. Funnily enough, over-confidence is often more a male issue. Sorry, not sorry. Women suffer more from imposter syndrome than men do. This is the feeling that you think that you're not up for the job, that you're not good enough and are an imposter, like Mike (second Suits reference, I might be obsessing). Anyway, getting hired for a job means that you're up for the job. You can do it. So get that confidence boost you need, just don't let it get to your head. No one wants to work with big egos. Check it.