Humility is having the self-esteem to understand that even though you are doing well, you do not have to brag or gloat about it.
Many people do not realize how essential it is to be humble. This may be because they do not fully understand the concept or have yet to learn what it means to be humble.
This caused them to reflect on America’s culture and how we view traits such as humility.
In a communist society, individuals embed a “survivor of the fittest” mindset, in which the stronger and better reach the top.
People are forced to develop a “look out for your own” viewpoint. People are exposed to consistent competition as children, competing for attention in academia, athletics, and the home.
Most would consider humility the antonym of pride and may associate pride as being a bad trait to possess.
Pride is not a negative thing—it is actually quite important. Pride involves being proud and there is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself or where you come from.
Taking pride in yourself, your culture, your achievements, etc. are great qualities. It’s important to embrace who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and the journey it took to get there.
However, if pride becomes extreme, this is when humility is absent and a person may exhibit selfish or narcissistic behaviors.
If a person begins to think they are better than others and only makes decisions based on what’s best for them, they are considered self-centered and prideful.
Obsessive pride makes it difficult to be considerate to others or form genuine relationships. People who are too prideful may not notice or realize that there are areas in which they can improve. Prideful people may also find it difficult to be self-aware when they are in the wrong.
Do Some Soul Searching
Those who are prideful can display a cockiness that stems from unidentified insecurities. Overly high self-esteem is not actually confidence but, in fact, repressed negative emotions toward oneself.
Understand Yourself Better
Unacknowledged insecurities could be the source of egotistic or self-righteous behavior to protect oneself from criticism from others or rejection.
It’s important to evaluate if overly high self-esteem may originate from your own insecurities or past experiences.
A mental health professional can help you gain more insight into who you are and who you would like to be.
Give Out Compliments When You Can
Acknowledging the achievements and accomplishments of others can help you move the attention off yourself a bit. Focusing on the feelings of others sometimes helps you get out of yourself more.
Compliment others for jobs well done. Every now and then, we all need to hear that we’re on the right track. So, be the person who assures someone they’re doing OK.
Don’t Be a Pushover
Don’t confuse humility with compliance. Holding people in high regard and giving them your consideration does not mean you must allow them to walk all over you.
You should always stand up for yourself and what you believe in and do your best no matter what. The point of humility is that you do not have to make someone feel worthless while doing so. This doesn’t mean becoming a pushover though.
Takeaways
Even if you are the best at something this time, be humble because you may not be the best the next time around. And that’s okay.
Accept failure graciously when it occurs and humbly support others by giving them flowers and a standing ovation when it’s due.
Sometimes you won’t be the one on the stage receiving accolades and it can feel just as satisfying in the audience, sitting down and being humble.