17.3 | Why Can’t We Do It? : The Ego is Too Big

6. Why Can’t We Do It? The Answer is Simple: The Ego is Too Big

So, why is it that we ordinary people—those of us not born as "Destiny-Type Winners"—usually fail to maintain this state of being simultaneously full of belief and radically flexible?

The answer is painfully simple:

Our Ego is too rigid, too massive. Our subconscious bias toward failure is rooted deep in our soil.

If you observe true winners closely, you’ll find a shocking commonality:

The real winners are often full of conviction, yet incredibly easy to change.

Steve Jobs is the classic example. He might vehemently oppose an idea on a Tuesday, only to fully embrace it on Wednesday without a shred of psychological baggage—sometimes even pitching that same idea as his own.

Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, had the same trait. He was famous for "listening to counsel." He could switch his entire stance in a heartbeat without his pride creating any internal resistance.

What is the essence of this?

On the surface, it looks like a personality trait. But the root is structural:

They have an objective evaluation of their own self-worth. They don’t have an inflated Ego that needs to prove itself by clinging to a mistake. They are internally humble enough to accept the facts.

Even if they don't know Jesus or follow a faith, they belong to the category of "Destiny-Type Winners." Their internal structure is naturally more "porous," more prone to belief, and more easily corrected by reality. This is one of the foundational reasons for their success.

7. The Only Way Out for Ordinary People: Loosening the Ego Through Faith

For most of us, we aren't Jack Ma, Elon Musk, or Mao Zedong. We aren't born "Destiny-Type Winners." By nature, we cannot easily:

• Believe boldly.
• Adjust instantly after a failure.
• Stay flexible under pressure.
• Face a setback without distorting the facts to protect our pride.

Our subconscious is far more likely to be occupied by:

• Doubt.
• Fear.
• Self-protection.
• A sense of low self-worth.

This is exactly why we need Jesus.

Through faith in Jesus:

• We move the source of our "Belief" from our fragile self to a Higher Existence.
• Through Surrender, we allow our Ego to loosen its grip.
• Because the Ego is loosened, we gain True Flexibility.
• Because of that flexibility, we finally meet the Prerequisites for Success.

In other words: Belief and Flexibility are not human "skills." Their common source is the descent of the Ego; they are the fruits of surrender. For the ordinary person, there is only one path to success:

Continuously align with Jesus and let the Ego step down.

8. Summary: Success Itself is a Spiritual Discipline

We can now bring this chapter to its final conclusion:

• Action at Full Strength is a necessary condition, but it is not sufficient.
• Success requires the simultaneous existence of Absolute Belief and Extreme Flexibility.
• These two contradictory qualities both stem from the Loosening of the Ego.
• For ordinary people to obtain this capacity, they must do it through Continuous Faith and Surrender.
• The more you rely on yourself, the more you fail; the more you return to Jesus, the more you succeed.

Therefore:

Entrepreneurship is a spiritual practice. The pursuit of success itself is a discipline. Every setback, every repetition, every breakthrough, and every time you hit a wall—it is all designed to loosen your Ego.

It is about reaching what Wang Yangming described as: "The mind is like a clear mirror, responding to things as they come." It is about what Mao Zedong emphasized: "Seeking Truth from Facts."

When your internal state is aligned, only then will the world change. This is the true source of success.