Never be the smartest person in the room

We all know people who need to be the smartest person in the room. The kind who almost demand the spotlight so they can wow everyone else with their brilliance. They claim the dais as divine right and don’t tolerate dissent or questioning.

More than that, we’ve all been that person. After all, we are smart and accomplished and it wouldn’t hurt others to acknowledge that from time to time.

The truth is, we’re not God. We’re not omniscient. Our experience can’t prepare us to know everything, even about a subject we’ve worked on and slaved over for years.

You can’t learn what you think you already know. You can’t be impressed if you aren’t curious. If you don’t allow even the possibility of magic you can’t comprehend, you’ll never find it.

Being the smartest person means you’ve reached the apex. You can’t possibly learn or grow. It means that you’ll never get better than you are right now. Given the rate of change and new information, it means you can only get worse.

In the Bible, Solomon is renowned for his brilliance. The Queen of Sheba comes and praises him for his wisdom and remarks how fortunate his underlings were to be in his presence. By the end of his term, Solomon had sewed the seeds that resulted in the division of the kingdom and it’s eventual disintegration.

Our ego hates to listen and refuses to learn. When we become convinced of our brilliance, it’s impossible for us to grow.

Growing and forging relationships make life better for you and those around you. You can’t do that if you’re always the person standing on top of the mountain.

Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing, not to feed the ego

This morning’s Daily Stoic journal entry was about avoiding the temptation of accolades thrown your way. Sometimes they’re valid and nice. Sometimes, they’re just a distraction, something to lead you down the slippery path that can come from ego-induced blindness.

There’s been a lot of stuff going on over the last several weeks. And while some of it’s been very good, it’s left me feeling like the gas tank’s empty. The litany of production issues at work hasn’t helped any.

It can all leave you feeling pretty damn unappreciated sometimes.

So I have to ask myself, why do I do the things I do? Am I doing the right thing because it’s the right thing and that’s what I stand for, or am I doing it so everyone can heap praise on me and feed my ego?

Scripture, which I’m supposed to use to guide my life, says that whatever I do, I should do it for the glory of God. That means sometimes I’ll do the right thing and the wrong things will happen. That I did it because I’m trying to live according to my ideals should be enough.

To be clear, no one’s been abusive or over the line. I’m just not at my best right now. And the more I look for relief, the more elusive it seems to be.

This gives me something to work on. My ego is like the big carnivorous plant in Little Shop of Horrors (or, for that matter, our cat). It only wants to be fed. It’s lust for recognition skews my outlook. It makes me take my eye off the ball.

So today, I get a day off. It’s a day to rest from the running, but it’s also a day to consider things and start working on the things that’ll make me better for myself and more useful to others.

And to put that ego on a badly needed diet.