What is the importance of egotism?

can egotism be considered a good personality trait?

Nope

Only if you've earned it and have something to share.

Not according to monks. But then again, you wonder where their minds are when they're being burned alive.

It's about balance, too much or too little of anything can be a bad thing.

Well said skin.....:-)......no ego, no desire, no nothing....too much ego, too much desire, too much everything...we've all got our own in-built ego survival kits...without them we would be dead, non-desirous, non-entities..........there's a time for the ego to emerge and there's a time to suppress it......knowing when and how is probably life's ultimate search/goal:-).......the ego always says...so what am I getting out of this situation/scenario? the "unaffected ego" never knows the why or why nots to its actions...that is ultimate altruism, in my humble opinion.....very humbled I mite add....

A x