Check Your Ego At The Door

Lessons from the 64 squares...

"3:30 in the morning, without a soul in sight, we sit 4 deep at a traffic light. Talking about how dumb and brainwash some of our brothers & sisters are, while we wait for a green light to tell up when to go."-Nelson Jordan, "One-Eyed Critics" (1972)

I have a chess student who's a natural born leader. The other children follow his lead, although most times, this is in the negative. The other day, he caught a lesson in humility. He wasn't able to play because he hadn't learned the pillars of NOTG. It took him about 55 minutes of the 60 minute class to get it. With the last 5 minutes, he got to play me. I beat him and had 3 minutes to spare. He shook his head, shook my hand and had calmed down significantly. I saw a different kid than the one who came in causing a ruckus. There was growth.

The title of the attached pic is called "False Bravado". It's something we should all be leery of in our own lives. I have listened to people berate others for being "slaves to a system", while they were begging me for money. Check your ego like you'd check an opponent's king. Nothing wrong with being "checked". It keeps us sharp, keeps us humble. Better to be "checked" than "mated". #NOTG #ChessInRealLife #BeHumble #Balance