title: Assertive Humility: Emerging from the ego trap
author: Mr Stuart Taylor
description: Stuart Taylor is a Director and Board Member of The Resilience Institute; a global organisation that works with organisations and people to liberate human performance sustainably. Closer to home, Stuart also leads The Resilience Institute in Australia. In 2013, Stuart published his book Assertive Humility  Emerging from the ego trap sharing his story and lessons before, during and after his brain cancer journey. He is an experienced management consultant with a focus on resilience, stress and cognition. His diversity of qualifications in psychology, finance, IT and engineering bring a breadth of credibility and perspective to client situations. Stuart has worked extensively in Government, Professional Services, Banking and Finance sector, Telecommunications and in the Manufacturing sector. Prior to joining The Resilience Institute, Stuart was an Associate Director with KPMG Management Consulting and then worked as a senior leader in a global corporation. Stuarts clients include GE, BP, Jetstar Airways, KPMG, PwC, NAB, Citigroup, Government, CBA, Australia Post, Heinz and Port Phillip Prison. In 2002, while climbing the ladder to corporate executive, Stuart was diagnosed with Brain Cancer; prognosis 2.5 years. Far from accept the prognosis; Stuart embarked on a journey back to physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual health. Part of this journey included creating The Resilience Institute in Australia to share his experience and philosophy with Australian organisations. Stuart has recently celebrated his 11 year milestone and is going from strength to strength. Stuart's road to full recovery has been one of enormous personal growth and he lives the principles recommended by The Resilience Institute. Stuart Taylor is an energetic, empathic and motivational speaker with an ability to quickly connect with his audience at an emotional level. He is often complimented for authentically sharing his own personal resilience journey in recovering from cancer. In 2012 Stuart was awarded Speaker of the Year for the Australian Legal Practice Management Association conference keynote.
zlib_text: Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;  
  If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,  
  Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,  
  I must have you!"
  
  Thomas Parke D'Invilliers
  
   **Chapter 1**
  
  In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that
  I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
  
  “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that
  all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
  
  He didn’t say any more, but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a
  reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. In
  consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up
  many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran
  bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality
  when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was
  unjustly accused of being a politician, because