Noah Kalina

18 Super Common ‘Ego Traps’ Even The Smartest People Can Fall Victim To

1. If your ambitions serve other people’s opinions of you more than they serve how you feel each day, you are in an ego trap.

2. If you consistently point out the problems you see in society or other people more than you offer solutions to those problems, you are in an ego trap.

3. If you make generalized statements about large groups of people, yet insist that it is offensive if anyone groups you into a blanket statement, you are in an ego trap.

4. If you believe you have mastered this world so much that you find it hard to live within it (you are too empathetic, intuitive or aware to be at peace) you are in an ego trap.

5. If you think there is only one way to be spiritual, awakened, mindful, intelligent, self-aware or helpful to others, you are in an ego trap.

6. If you say that you believe in acceptance of all people, but judge those who aren’t as accepting as you are, you are in an ego trap.

7. If you choose to share articles and posts online that are aligned with what you believe are more progressive and open-minded politics, yet you do it in a mostly negative and isolating way, you are in an ego trap.

8. If you say you disagree with other people’s beliefs, and yet have not taken the time to understand why so many people feel that way, you are in an ego trap.

9. If you think there is only one way to achieve health and wellness, and judge anyone who doesn’t follow your routine, you are in an ego trap.

10. If you play down your success because you don’t want people to dislike you for being too proud, you’re not humble, you’re in an ego trap.

11. If you make criticisms about other people’s choices – especially in difficult situations – without considering that you cannot completely empathize with them unless you’ve lived out a similar experience, you’re in an ego trap.

12. If you think you have a lot of very simple answers to big, overarching human problems, you are in an ego trap.

13. If people consistently make the same criticism about you, but you still deny that it is true, you are in an ego trap.

14. If you are convinced that you are alive for only one purpose, and that one purpose is somehow connected to your job, you are in an ego trap.

15. If you think you are always the wisest person in the room, or the most “woke” person you know, you are in an ego trap.

16. If you’ve found a way to live that lets you be more zen, but you judge anyone who doesn’t live that way, you’re in an ego trap.

17. If you can’t tolerate listening to other people’s opinions if they are different than yours, you are in an ego trap.

18. If you want to fix people more than you want to love them as they are, you are in an ego trap. Thought Catalog Logo Mark