Question about Ego...

[Allegro]

I seem to be doing extra jobs for certain people and they seem to enjoy my work. Though I do have a hard time finding out if feeling good for my work is a bad thing or a good thing, considering that I usually accept praise to motivate myself for future work.

This is kind of a tricky question to ask, but how do you differentiate having an ego versus being self-confident? Are they the same thing, or different depending on the circumstances?

[Slater]

hmm... good question. I think that your self-confidence is part of your overall ego, that is that your self-confidence is only a part of how you regard your being's status.

Feeling good about your work is definitly a good thing. We are, as Christians, commanded to do our best in whatever we do so that it will reflect well upon our Lord, so we shouldn't submit half-baked work if we can do more about it. Thus, if you feel truly good about your work, and you can say that you did it as if it were for God, then it is a good thing.

[Lynx]

this reminds me of something i read in "the great divorce" by C.S. Lewis. he said something along the lines it being kinda like looking at things you've done like a painting someone else painted... you look at it and you feel no pride, no "yes this is the best ever because i painted it" but also none of the too overly critical mentality we often have when looking at our own work.

hope that helped

[Anna Mae]

It is definately healthy to feel good about a job well done. One thing that helps me from being prideful (although I am by no means a good example of humility) when people compliment me over doing a good job on something is to say, "Glory to God," because I am really nothing without Him.

[Doubleshadow]

Confident is synonymous with assurance, certainty, trust. Egoistical is synonymous with selfish, and means being devoted to furthering your own interests.
Self-confidence does not reside in other peoples opinions of you, nor does it fluctuate with praise, nor is it an emotion. It simply means you are sure you can do something. It may get stronger based on people approving your efforts, and you may feel better about yourself because you are doing something meaningful, but it is not a feeling that changes with negative evaluation either.
Egotism has a lot of pride and arrogance in it, and may or may not be driven by praise as well. If you are boastful, require the praise to make it worth your while or you feel cheated without it because of a sense of entitlement, it is ego.
If you enjoy the praise because you are happy they appreciate your work, you are probably okay. If you enjoy the praise because it makes you feel like some great person, who is so very valuable, then it is probably ego.

[Azier the Swordsman]

The best way to describe the difference is that being egocentric means you think of yourself as being so good, so perfect, you think you are better than everyone else, and have no respect for anyone but yourself, while self confindence is believing in yourself, understanding you are human, not neccesarily perfect, yet having a strong respect for yourself and others. Self Confidence is more humility centered while Egocentric is self centered.

EDIT: Doubleshadow beat me to the punch.

[Allegro]

Thanks for the input guys. The way I usually see this is that the "temptation" is always there to shift away from doing work for the good of others and instead, focusing on building an ego. When one lacks self-confidence, they may instead develop an unhealthy way of building it - which is to assume that you need to be "better" than someone in order to escape feelings of uncertainty.

It's one thing if you get paid for the work you've done, but I've noticed that sometimes it's a question of "should I be recognized for my work" or if having my name advertised accounts for creating the wrong impression among certain people.

his reminds me of something i read in "the great divorce" by C.S. Lewis. he said something along the lines it being kinda like looking at things you've done like a painting someone else painted... you look at it and you feel no pride, no "yes this is the best ever because i painted it" but also none of the too overly critical mentality we often have when looking at our own work.

This analogy helps a lot. You see your own painting in a brighter light, whereas you do not see the other person's the same way as your own. It's human nature to want people to notice you and not the other way around.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

True. But I find I admire people's work a lot more than my own. But I guess pride is still a factor (but in rarer instances).

[termyt]

Hello Allegro, welcome to CAA.

There is nothing wrong with having a healthy ego. Self-confidence is definitely part of that. The trick is to keep it in perspective. We have nothing save what has been gifted to us by God. With out Him, we are nothing. Period. That realization will keep your ego in check.

Being self confident, on the other hand, is a great gift. To know what you can do and then to do it without fear or reservation will go a long way to your ability to use your gifts to glorify God. The trap here, however, is over confidence. Taking on too much for yourself will lead to problems for you and those counting on you. You need to know your limitations and you need to know when to ask for help. Knowing your limitations is also critical in expanding your talents. You can not surpass your limitations if you do not know (or refuse to accept) what they are.

My cliché ridden advice to everyone is to reach for the stars - continuously try to take the next step beyond what you've previously accomplished, but try not to bite off more than you can chew and don't be afraid to ask for help. In all things that you do, give all of the praise and glory to Whom it belongs and be thankful that He could use you to bring Himself glory.