Ego as defined by dictionary.com is: self-esteem, self-image or feelings. Yet the majority of society understands and or relates the term EGO to negativity. If having a high self-image means one has an ego it is not necessarily a bad thing. It takes a certain amount of ego to do many things that are required of us to succeed in the entrepreneurial world.

If we truly examine the meaning of ego we will realize that having a good self-image and self-esteem helps us to do the meaningful things in life. In saying this, people need to stop throwing around the word ego in a negative manner. Developing an ego takes a lot of work. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes years to cultivate the ego trait.

When you fly the friendly skies, the flight attendant instructs everyone, that in the event of an emergency to put their oxygen mask on before they help others. That doesn’t mean every man for himself. That means suck in some air so you can effectively assist others. That goes with ego too; you have to suck in some ego. So when you look at it from that perspective putting your ego on is no different than putting your oxygen mask on.

Yes, there are some who abuse their egos, but you don’t have to be one of those people. If you want an ego of your own, learn how to use it to lift yourself up, and catapult yourself into the life of success that you deserve and desire. People are inspired and take note of people who courageously put themselves out there, and to do so you are going to need a healthy ego.

Here are 5 things you can do to boost your ego:

1. Feed it

In order for anything to grow it has to be placed in an environment that is conducive to growth. Your ego is no different. Read some great books, take a class on self-confidence, and stay away from those who are dream busters.

Books feed your mind with information and shape the way you think about things, a good self-confidence class, programs you to have a great self-image, and staying away from dream busters keeps the toxic distractions out of your life and enables you to grow.

When you feed your mind with empowering beliefs it in turn feeds your ego and releases a new self-believing attitude and results.

2. Let go of bad habits

Letting go of bad habits helps condition us to create better habits in our daily lives. Limited self-belief creates critical thoughts and behaviors; those thoughts and behaviors send out signals to the outside world that we lack self-esteem. We have to break the bad habit of thinking poorly of ourselves.

The vibrations exchanged between ourselves and the reactions of others in return make us feel stuck, weak and unmotivated to move forward. When choosing to drown out the negative chatter in our head we are choosing to look at things positively and doing so, will empower us to feel good about ourselves and motivate us to demonstrate those actions.

“When it comes to breaking old habits and starting new ones, remember to be patient with yourself. If you’ve spent twenty, thirty, or forty years or more repeating the behaviors you’re now trying to change, you’ve got to expect it’s going to take time and effort before you see lasting results​.​” –Darren Hard​y

3. Get a pet

According to the research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology pet ownership has been shown to increase self-confidence, combat loneliness, boost physical activity, and instill a sense of responsibility that is truly rewarding.

Perhaps it is the unconditional love that our pets give us that helps reinforce our ego. What gets noticed, gets repeated in life. When our pets do something that make us feel good we respond by repeating the same action that elicited their response. This applies in the human world as well. When someone praises us for our actions we repeat the action. Their praise solidifies that our actions are acceptable.

4. Pump up your appearance

In Arianna Huffington’s book Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder, she talks about the importance of the different areas of your life that you should feed.

• Exercising: promotes good health, and reduces your chances of illnesses.
• Eating healthy: nourishes the body, contributes to sustained weight maintenance, elevates your moods, and increases your energy levels.
• Getting more sleep: improves your cognitive thinking as well as gives you the energy to do the everyday things in life that need to get done.

All of these things play a very vital role in your appearance and brand image. When you feel good about how you look it causes your self-esteem to elevate.

5. Walk the walk

A healthy ego builds incredible momentum. Not only in your personal image, but your brand image as well. Believe it or not, the two often go hand in hand. Have you ever seen Darren Hardy from Success Magazine take the stage? He exudes every part of the brand Success, from the way he dresses, the way he is groomed, and even the way he struts across the stage. When people think of Darren Hardy they think Success. He walks the Success walk.

If you want to succeed in the entrepreneurial world you have to remember you need an ego. So be comfortable in your own skin, learn how to walk to your own beat of your drum, start thinking of what success looks like to you, and when you do, it will give you the confidence to tell others to let go of your ego, too!

Thank you for reading my article! How do you build your ego for success?