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Starve your Ego
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
November 9, 2026, EL Al Flight LY 382, Milano, Italy - Israel
Seminar over, on the flight home, Turkish coffee served by Maya. Time to reflect.
Perhaps the greatest predictor of future failure is an inflated ego. Win one fight, and believe that the next fight will be easy. But how did you win that fight? you won it by being humble, you won it by understanding the strength of the opponent and that nothing but hard work will give you a chance at success.
And then success can breed failure. When you succeed you must remember the struggle, not the victory.
Yes, victory tastes great, and it should be celebrated. You should recognize that your hard work paid off. You deserve the recognition and the "Self Recognition". Celebrate your success, remember the high points.
But do not let it lead to an inflated ego.
I was always a good student in school, but I never considered myself to be super talented or super intelligent. When I would visit my dear Aunts Esther and Sylvia, I would say, "I must go now, I have an exam to study for." and they would say, Oh Moshe, you have nothing to worry about, you always do well. I would answer, I do well because I worry. I study hard because I am worried.
Perhaps worry is not the correct term, but rather, concerned. I am always concerned. I plan for every seminar. I plan for every possibility.
The seminar in Italy now was a great success, I am on the flight home taking notes, for the next seminar in Italy to be held in January. What did we cover this time? what should we build on, what new concepts should I introduce? I am preparing, as I always do. Yes, dear Aunt Esther and Aunt Sylvia, I do believe I will succeed, but I do not ever take this for granted, I will work hard, I will prepare.
On one hand we should feed our ego, we should feel we have value; we are good at what we do and we should know this. We should project confidence, but never arrogance, as the Bible warns, Arrogance proceeds a fall, and the God shall humble the Arrogant. There is a difference between Confidence and Arrogance.
"Then all the trees of the field will know that I am God. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, God, have spoken, and I have done it.’” (Ezekiel, Chapter 17, verse 24)"
"The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; God alone will be exalted in that day" (Isaiah Chapter 2, 17)
Thus, as we feed our ego with positive thoughts, we must also starve our ego, with humility and with doubt. We must combine confidence with caution, pride with humility.
Starve your ego, not with doubt your ability but with an understanding that success is the product of hard work. Understand that while you have talents, you also have areas where are lacking, where are deficient, where you need to make an extra effort. Be willing to see your faults! Be open to seeing the short-comings in your system.
I find in particular with self-defense systems that this is not only a problem, but a widespread disease. And, it is a deadly disease as it can lead to premature death.
With self-defense we are dealing with life and death, no less than a doctor. Our actions, our teachings have consequences. As such we must be constantly searching for better methods, a medical manual from 1956 will not suffice. We must attend conferences; we must remain up to date with the latest developments. We are doctors of survival!
We must starve our ego so that we are hungry for new information, for the latest research. We must also feed our ego so that we operate with confidence, so that we project confidence to our students, they need this confidence.
These past few days I saw veteran martial artists, acknowledged experts, training hard to learn something new. Not once did I see people wandering around, bored, no one asked for a break. I did not see ego; I saw hunger to learn.
This is how it must be, we have a grave responsibly, like a commander the field our mistakes can cost lives. We must lead with confidence and yet we must always be hungry to improve. Starve your ego and you will see the results. God humbles the mighty and raises up the Humble.
Moshe Katz, 8th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt Hall of fame, USA and Europe.
Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz
What is the cultural background of Krav Maga? What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?
What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?
What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?
How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?
All that and more in this unique book.
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