Intentionally or not, this email message was devilishly designed to tickle my ego. How satisfying to see the words “uniquely important” used to describe my work! How delicious to be included in such an illustrious group of social psychologists! What an ego high to be validated in this way! Unfortunately, the pleasure lasted only moments, and was quickly followed by thoughts like, “If my work is so great, why wasn’t I approached along with this earlier group?” and “Some people must have turned down the invitation, leading to an open slot that needed to be filled.” How easily a preoccupation with my worth and value transformed this kind and generous invitation into a boost and then a threat to my self-esteem. Once triggered, this egosystem motivation stirred up a range of pleasant and unpleasant emotions. And then, having agreed to contribute, the task of actually writing a chapter worthy of a “pillar” became daunting, so I procrastinated; what could I say that would live up to this praise?