Is Success Just Ego in Disguise?

We’ve been taught that growth means climbing higher, doing more, and achieving endlessly.

But what if what we call “success” isn’t growth at all? What if it’s just ego, dressed up in ambition?

The deeper you look, the more obvious it becomes: We’ve mistaken control for progress. And it’s costing us everything.

🧠 It started with ego.

Over 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, humans began capturing wild animals—not for science or survival, but for show.

Lions were caged to display power.

That moment marked something bigger than just dominance over nature. It was the beginning of a mindset—one that put us above everything else.

The lion in the cage became the first silent symbol of separation:

• Humans above animals

• Humans above nature

• Eventually… humans above everything on the planet!

The ego grew. So did entitlement. And so began a civilization built not for harmony, but for hierarchy.

🌍 We’re now living in the aftershock.

That ancient belief system didn’t just shape history—it shaped the modern world. And today, we’re seeing the ripple effects all around us:

• Climate breakdown

• Mass extinction

• Food chain collapse

• Ecological imbalance

• Emotional and spiritual disconnection

We’ve moved so far from nature that we now live on top of it, not with it.

We’ve built faster tech and bigger cities, but we need apps to meditate, scripts to communicate, and coaches to teach us how to connect with our own children.

We scroll through mindfulness tips while ignoring our breath. We share our emotions on social media because we’ve forgotten how to feel them.

We’ve gained more information than ever before, but in the process, we lost our instinct.

🔄 So what now? What does real growth look like?

Growth isn’t about how high you climb. It’s about how deeply you remember.

It’s time to redefine success, not as dominance, but as alignment.

We need a new kind of growth—one that is:

• Rooted in connection

• Guided by wisdom

• Designed for we, not just me

• Driven by abundance

  
  

Here’s what that shift looks like in real life:

🌿 Reconnect with nature

• Spend time in nature with no agenda. Let the Earth teach you.

• Support regenerative practices that restore, not just sustain.

• Treat the planet as a living relative, not a lifeless resource.

  
  

🧘‍♂️ Reclaim your inner compass

• Create space for silence. Let stillness become your teacher.

• Trust your intuition—it’s ancient, not outdated.

• Step away from the noise. Tune into your natural rhythm.

  
  

🤝 Prioritize belonging over winning

• Build communities based on empathy, not efficiency.

• Speak from the heart, not from strategy.

• Remember: healing happens in connection.

  
  

🌍 Think beyond yourself

• Make decisions that serve future generations, not just quarterly goals.

• Support systems and leaders that protect the Earth and all its people.

• Be a good ancestor.

  
  

What happens when we shift?

When we grow with intention instead of ego, everything changes:

• Our conversations become deeper

• Our choices become more conscious

• Our relationships become more real

• Our presence becomes our power

• Our life becomes meaningful at every stage and age

• We stop performing life, and we start living it.

  
  

  We realize we weren’t born to dominate. We were born to remember, reconnect, and belong.

🦁 What will you do with the lion in the cage?

Mind your growth.

Because the first cage wasn’t built for the lion—It was built for the human ego.

And now?

It’s time to unlock the cage. Not just for the lion, but for yourself. For the parts of you that were silenced, tamed, or made small. For the instinct you buried in the name of success. For the wildness that still knows the way.

Because the wild didn’t leave you.

You just forgot where you put it.

So the question isn’t Why is the lion in the cage? The real question is:

What are you going to do about it?

Blog by: 

Nav Jassi,

Author of Mind Your Growth

Available now on Amazon → https://a.co/d/55WAv47