6 Signs Your Ego Is Out Of Control And How You Can Tame It

1. You’re excessively judgmental of others.

We all make tiny judgments about ourselves and others. It’s an evolutionary trait that, when used correctly, helps us keep good company and stay alive. But when you become excessively judgmental, and even worse, gossipy, then you’re in trouble with your ego. Your big ego is attempting to pump you up at the expense of others. Instead, ditch the judgments and be the best version of yourself you can be.

2. You have no patience.

An impatient person has a big ego for sure. They want what they want and they want it right now. Remind yourself that sometimes, you just have to wait. It’ll be fine. Patience is a virtue.

3. You complain and argue constantly.

Complaining and debating is fine. It’s how we decide what we want in life, what we want to change, and how we rally people around ideas. But if all you ever do is nag at people and argue relentlessly over nothing, your ego is probably a tad too big. Instead of debating every little idea and belief, start letting the little things go.

4. You are terribly defensive.

You have trouble acknowledging your own pitfalls. We all have problems and areas of weakness. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise. When your ego is too large, you can’t begin to work on these things and you get defensive any time anyone tries to call you on it. Instead, listen fully with your whole being to what they have to say and try to make improvements.

5. You speak badly about yourself.

This seems like something a big ego would never do, but it’s actually kind of an impressive tool of the ego. When you speak poorly of yourself, you lower expectations of others. Then, when you end up doing better than you lead them to expect, people think you’re great! Yes! Mission accomplished for the big ego. But instead of trying to lower your expectations, try to be honest about what you expect your results to be. Or don’t try to have any expectations at all.

6. You can’t apologize.

No matter what you do, you can’t quite seem to take the heat for doing something wrong and say you’re sorry. This is because the big ego doesn’t want to be damaged. It’s probably the hardest habit to break by far. All you can do to break it is, well, apologize when you need to.