Often our ego can cloud our judgement in a variety of situations. This can happen for numerous reasons including a fear of being wrong, an unhealthy attachment to outcomes, biases that affect our beliefs, perceived status tied to a result, and emotional reactions such as shame, fear, or pride. It’s important to be able to look at situations from a more logical perspective, however.
Leaning into logic can be challenging, particularly when you are dealing with a result that you are having an emotional reaction to. There are some ways that you can change your outlook, though.
First, you need to separate your identity from the issue. You must tell yourself that your worth is not tied to a particular outcome. Take a step back and think of yourself as an observer in the situation. Next, remove your ego from the facts, and eliminate any heightened emotions. Your logical side tends to kick in when you deal solely with reality. Try to find things that you can verify or more carefully observe that are related to the outcome.
From there, embrace a humbler outlook. Rely on your humility and remember that no one is perfect or has all the answers. You are no exception. It can also be useful to practice mindfulness. Learn to observe your thoughts instead of making them truths without consideration.
Next, work on your critical thinking skills. Ask deeper questions that enable you to gain a better understanding of the outcome. Break the result or problem down into smaller pieces and dissect it from there. Logic will again take over and help diminish any strong emotions that may be interfering.
Finally, decide whether or not you are reacting in a defensive way to what has occurred. Empathy can help in this regard. Look at the situation from another person’s perspective. You may find that they actually made the right call, and if you’re honest with yourself, you may decide that it’s the right call for you as well.
It would happen overnight, but with time and repetition, you will be able to engage more with your logical side and take the emotion and ego out of reactions. This process of logical analysis will help you in a variety of situations and bring you a higher sense of peace and satisfaction in your life.