In an old audio course, Zig Ziglar recalled an experience walking into a soup kitchen. He saw someone who might need a little cheering up, and perhaps in that moment he didn’t feel like doing it.

However, he said to himself “I have a reputation here. People know me.” His self-image as a person who helped others was so strong, that enabled him to get leverage over his actions.

Perhaps one day we won’t need to use our egos in this way to inspire ourselves to act. In the meantime, if we have a strong ego about our ability to help people, it’s good to use it.