Ego is Not the Enemy

How “ego” became one of the most misused phrases in the English language.

Returning some books to the library, I noticed flyers posted all over the outside windows. “Learn to live the millionaire lifestyle… without being a millionaire!”

I immediately discounted them. What a poor pitch. Like everyone, I want to be a millionaire and live the millionaire lifestyle. Was this a class on how to be fake? I don’t think anyone in LA needs a workshop for that.

The woman dutifully checking in my tomes had a streak of purple dye in her hair. She seemed cheerful.

“Why aren’t you at the seminar upstairs, are you already a millionaire?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, mechanically creasing the due date printouts into each book. “Right.”

“It’s a poor pitch, isn’t it? I want to be a millionaire and live the lifestyle.”

She looked up with a dewy decimating gaze, and then slowly smiled, “You don’t need to be a millionaire to be happy.” Ah, an idealist.

“Well, yeah,” I responded, “I’m not talking about being happy. The science is pretty clear on how much I need for that.” According to a widely reported study co-authored by Princeton Economist and Nobel Prize Winner Angus Deaton, increases in emotional…