A Guide to Getting Over Ourselves

5 Steps to Forget Yourself

I spent most of my life thinking I was the main character. I did a series of podcast episodes about it. I can still be self-absorbed, but I try to be mindful of it and keep it from dominating my life. Here are 5 things that have helped me get over myself (a little).

Study History

It sounds like a typical old-person thing to say, but it scares me how little we know about history. There's a lot to learn from the billions and billions of people who came before us. We are missing out on that if we only pay attention to things that happen in our lifetimes, especially in our current news cycle where major news is overshadowed by something else every 24 hours.

We have become relentlessly focused on whatever is right in front of us and obsessive about figuring out how we can make it about us. History is boring because it doesn’t involve us. Why would I want to read about dead people who never even had the privilege of knowing me?