Our ego is always lingering in the shadows, waiting to destroy and unravel much of what we’ve worked to create. As leaders and positive-difference makers, the vital task becomes how we become more self-aware so our reactions don’t distract and deter us on our self-discovery journeys.

Having an ego is not necessarily bad. But too much of anything that goes against truth and balance can take the mind, body and spirit out of alignment. So while the ego has its benefits, the overfeeding of it can cause us to become unhinged, which is a major detriment to cultivating a meaningful life and legacy as a leader.

"Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, your worst enemy already lives inside you: your ego," best-selling author Ryan Holiday once said.  

If we do not become intentional as leaders and change agents of acknowledging and managing our ego, it can:

• Keep us stagnated from taking risks or asking for help.

• Keep us stuck in the past, never letting go; anxious about the future, never appreciating the present; and mentally imprisoned, leading life playing the "why me" role.

• Fearful of making the necessary changes for personal transformation.

• Complacent in focusing on the process of getting better after winning and achieving the desired outcome.

• Detached from reality and another person's story and struggles.

• In a state of reaction to prove an artificial sense of power, control and dominance instead of responding to situations.

Life will test, challenge and expose us in our most critical moments of achievement and defeat. How we handle those circumstances and how people feel about themselves based on our reactions becomes our legacy. As leaders and positive difference-makers, we have to check ourselves and our egos daily. If we fail to do so, life will do the checking and humble us. 

Realize, when we respond from a place of ego and fear, we don't end up just self-sabotaging our personal growth, current success and future opportunities ― we end up hurting people. And hurt people hurt people.

If we cannot help others on this journey, let's at least aspire not to hurt them with an unhinged ego.

If we can do anything for ourselves and those we love and lead, it is to heal ourselves. Healing is a marathon. To truly heal, we must take all the time we need, because if we don't get in tune with our inner child who yearns to be acknowledged, we can have everything and still throw it all away in a moment.

And the ego that is crying out to feel validated, seen, heard and loved will be a major culprit.