It is easy to maintain a humble attitude in the days of your
humble beginnings and the reverse is true for most of us when we start to go up
the success ladder. Confidence is key to getting ahead in life. It helps you do
better at work, in relationships, and in interviews. Overconfidence, however,
can make you seem like a genuine jerk. We all know that one person that thinks
they are the strongest, smartest, and just all around best at everything.
Truthfully, we all dislike that person to some degree.
No one likes dealing with egomaniacs. There are few things
as off-putting as people who view themselves as being better than others or
above the rules. People respond well to humility because it shows that you
place yourself at the same level as them, and not above them.
Humble people are well-liked and respected in the office.
Their peers love to work with them, and their bosses love to manage them. This
ability alone cultivates an awe-inspiring inner strength, the most powerful
example of which is Gandhi, who once famously said, “I claim to be a simple
individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I
have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
Truly humble people are able to offer this kind of gift to
us because they see and accept their own strengths and limitations without
defensiveness or judgment. They also see life as a school, recognizing that
while none of us is perfect, we can, without negatively impacting our
self-esteem, work on our limitations by being open to new ideas, advice, and
criticism.
Yet it’s evident that cultivating this quality is not for
the faint-hearted, nor does it appear overnight. It would seem that one of the
great rewards of humility is an inner freedom from having to protect those
parts that we try to hide from ourselves and others. In other words, we develop
a quiet, understanding, and compassionate heart.
Perhaps the key to humility is seeing life as a journey
towards cultivating those qualities that bring out the best in ourselves and
others and make this world a better place. And this journey is not just for the
average person, but one that many of our greatest leaders have embarked upon.
Many of us come from humble beginnings. We make something of
ourselves through pursuit of knowledge, integrity, hard work, and a bit of good
fortune. Yes, people have every right to be proud of the success that they’ve
earned. But that doesn’t give them the right to be rude or disrespectful to
others. So, don’t let success go to your head. Be humble. Humility is a sign of
strength, not weakness. People with humility possess an inner peace.
To close with the words of one who knew humility, Nelson
Mandela:
“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can
never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…Great
peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility.”
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