“Our ego is our unconscious brain that is usually motivated by old past beliefs, mindsets and things that—habits that—we aren't even aware we're doing,” says Christie Garcia.

Understanding this unconscious reactivity is important. The increased reactivity of today’s world, according to Garcia, is fueled by social media and news headlines meant to emotionally manipulate. 

We all perceive situations and comments differently, but when we’re unconsciously being driven by our egos, a neutral statement can be taken personally and blown out of proportion. In order to consciously control our egos, we have to want to become better than the unconscious actions our egos provoke. Even if that means doing just 1% more every day, as Garcia suggests, we have to take ownership of our own actions and inspire others to do the same.

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Christie Garcia is a leadership coach and the founder of Mindful Choice Leadership Academy. Visit her website at mindfulchoiceacademy.com, and find a worksheet to improve your leadership with 1% more effort every day at mindfulchoiceacademy.com/success. You can follow Garcia on LinkedIn at Christie Garcia or Mindful Choice Leadership Academy, and on Instagram @mindfulchoice_.