The guy who thinks he’s the funniest in the room is never the funniest in the room. The guy who tells us how good-looking he is –is generally insufferable. The guy who doesn’t let the conversation breathe, or doesn’t let somebody else have their moment, isn’t usually the most popular guy at work. (And maybe even the guy who writes blog posts thinking he’s some kind of philosopher or something is also pretty annoying.)
When we allow our ego to get to our head and drain our humility, we have been touched by the kiss of death. It’s very difficult to be successful or even liked when you lack self-awareness. And a lack of self-awareness is accompanied by a galling level of self-importance. Indeed a kiss of death.