“We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather, we must be simple, humble and pure.” ~ Francis of Assisi
In our modern society, full of corporate power and stardom, being humble, being modest is often viewed as a weakness. And the funny part is, we celebrate entitlement and elitist behavior in the name of social norm.
What hope do we have as a society if we celebrate over confidence and elitist attitudes? Where is the spiritual growth in that? Aren’t we all getting rather materialistic?
This is the reason being humble is such a deep necessity for our society at large. But can we go change every person on this planet? NO! That’s literally impossible…so then what? Do we go on living the same way? Can we really find happiness in this cesspool of over indulgence?
Like Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” There is still hope for us. We need to begin to be humble and modest first our self.
Many spiritual teachers have stated of Humility as being the highest virtue one can have. So, not only does being humble make you happier and more content, it also makes you grow spiritually, refining your soul on levels you can not even imagine.
While confidence is greatly essential to getting ahead in life, over confidence is a buzz kill and a sure shot way to not be taken seriously in the world. Hence the importance of being humble.
Do you remember the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes: Where the message is that it’s okay to be wrong about something and, more importantly, it’s okay to admit that to others. It shows that you not only value your opinion and decisions, but that you also value the opinions and decisions of those around you.
What are the benefits of Being Humble?
There are numerous benefits to being a humble person. Just to state a few…
1} More understanding: A humble person understand his/her limits and knows when to draw a line where its needed. He/she has deeper understanding on the truths of life and their perspectives are based on reality rather than ego.
2} More Generous: A humble person is always more generous than his ego driven or self absorbed counterparts because, he is able to place himself in the shoes of the less fortunate and ‘feel’ their pain. The ego driven person lives in a bubble where another’s pain cannot touch him.
3} More Helpful: A Humble person on average is more helpful than others. In a study by LaBouff et al. (2011), people who were more humble, were more likely to offer help, and offered more of their time, to those in need. This is because they are more heart centered and come from a space of love.
In light of these needs…here are 5 positive ways you NEED to humble for true happiness, satisfaction and spiritual growth…
5 Positive Ways You NEED to Be Humble for more Happiness
1} Stop Feeding the Ego: Don’t feed your ego by surrounding yourself with people who always agree to whatever you say and hence massage your ego. A few people who bring you back to reality and say it like it is, are essential to your growth and staying humble.
2} Start getting off your high horse: Always, always, always treat people with respect and dignity. Just because you are successful that doesn’t make you better than them or give you permission to put others down. Staying grounded with your feet firmly on the ground is required for staying humble.
3} Stop talking, Start Listening: When you can stop talking incessantly about how great you are, you can actually start listening. And when you listen, you discover what others have to offer and give importance to their opinions before forcing yours down. Listening shows that you value others opinions and insights.
4} Learn to apologize for mistakes: Noone ever learnt anything or impressed anyone by shifting the blame and making excuses for their actions. Apologizing and owning to your mistakes brings you back to your soul’s center of truth and purity.
5} Keep striving for excellence: If you are already successful, don’t become complacent. Complacency is a fruit of ego not humility. Keep pushing yourself further and keep growing. Excellence is a journey not a destination. When you keep pushing yourself to higher levels of excellence, you keep understanding and working on your own limitations, which keeps you grounded. Its all part of the self mastery.
Always strive to be more and more humble with every passing day. As John Wooden rightly says, “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
These words by Gary Zukav state humbleness in the most beautiful way:
“The one characteristic of authentic power that most people overlook is humbleness. It is important for many reasons. A humble person walks in a friendly world. He or she sees friends everywhere he or she looks, wherever he or she goes, whomever he or she meets. His or her perception goes beyond the shell of appearance and into essence.” ~ Gary Zukav
What are your thoughts on the necessity of being humble? Share them in the comments below. I would love to learn from you.
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With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~
Nothing great about feeling superior to others as true nobility lies in being superior to one’s earlier self, opined Hemingway. Humbleness is the purest and most truthful of all virtues because it stems from realisation of one’s limitations. Whatever tempts us to convey a sense of superiority, that is the gravity of our conceit and arrogance. Thanks, Zeenat, for your thoughts on humility.
Love this valuable advice, Zeenat. I especially like the “Stop talking. Start listening.” I find myself constantly working on that one. I find that having a brain injury makes me want to talk impulsively out of turn. Or maybe I did this before, but just wasn’t noticing it.
I would call this being authentic and aware. Humble works too! 🙂
I love these 5 steps, Zeenat, especially the first and the third. Humility is definitely not a virtue that is valued in modern culture. Thank you for sharing its merits. We need to get back to these basics to be happy and to contribute to a happier world.
This is a great reminder, Zeenat! Humility is a critical piece of being a balanced person, and too often is overlooked in our modern fast paced world. #3 Stop talking. Start listening is one that I believe is so important to help with truly understanding another person. Communication improves when we worry less about what we are going to say next and focus more on truly listening.
“Humility has as its object to eliminate that which is imaginary in spiritual progress. There is no harm in thinking ourselves far less advanced than we are: the light is in no way decreased thereby for its source is not in opinion. There is great harm in thinking ourselves more advanced, because then opinion has an effect.”
~ Simone Weil
Gravity and Grace
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Hello Zeenet!
I posted this Simone Weil quote with a photo composition that I created for my flickr group. As a result a person mentioned a book that she was currently reading: A Guide to Living in the Truth: St. Benedict’s Teaching on Humility by Michael Casey. I ordered it off Amazon and it is due on the 14th.
A short review:
“This book shows us how humility brings a basic happiness that is able to cope with difficulties and sorrows. Casey translates the ancient wisdom of Saint Benedict into the modern arena of capitalistic competition. He also demonstrates how people must stop regarding others as rivals and be content with what we have because it is a waste of time to envy those who possess qualities different than our own. Humble individuals are con-tent with both the gifts and limitations inherent in who they are.”
A wonderful and most timely post dear sister…
Rand
#4 is so important as it requires that you take responsibility for your actions in addition to being humble about it. That’s another rare quality these days. Because it’s so rare, it seems that those who are humble actually receive the attention that’s desired by those who are the opposite.
I was about 14 when I discovered that admitting I was wrong, or didn’t know something was truly liberating. I highly recommend it!
Loved this article Zeenat…especially the John Wooden quotes.
No 4 is one that is so important after you have mastered the other 4- not always easy- beautiful Zeenat xxx
Zeenat, I love the quote: “The one characteristic of authentic power that most people overlook is humbleness. It is important for many reasons. A humble person walks in a friendly world. He or she sees friends everywhere he or she looks, wherever he or she goes, whomever he or she meets. His or her perception goes beyond the shell of appearance and into essence.” ~ Gary Zukav. “A humble person walks in a friendly world…” – if more of us practiced being humble, we COULD change the world!