This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
Is it just me, or do you also think that humility is a hard quality to find lately? From my perspective, it seems like we all want greatness to be our business card. We want to show the world how amazing we are, and this desire is taking one of our greatest human qualities out of the game.
I know this concept sounds extreme, but we’ve all been there at some point. We’ve all fallen into that ugly social media/social pressure trap where we crave to show off our accomplishments and make them appear a lot bigger than they actually are. Yes, I’ve been there myself. Sometimes I’m aware of what I’m doing, but often I’m completely unaware of my behavior.
What’s wrong with showing the world around us all our great accomplishments? If we’ve worked really hard to be great at something, isn’t it our right to be proud of our success and show it off? Well … yes and no. It’s great to accomplish our goals, and it’s even greater to grow in the process, but have you ever asked yourself the reason behind your hunger for success and greatness? I’ll bet you have! Let me ask you one more thing: Are you completely honest when you answer that question? I’ve asked some people these questions, and the answer I get most of the time to the first question is something like, “I want to live a better life.” But when I add the second question, the answer is almost always the same for everyone, and it goes like this: “I want to prove all the people who doubted me wrong.”
So, I keep thinking that the reason humility gets pushed aside so often is simply because we’re pursuing greatness with the wrong approach and intention. It’s really hard to admit that we often give our best only when we want to show others we can give more than they do. We want to be better than the rest. I’ve done that myself, many times, and even though I’m not comfortable admitting it, I have to be honest if I want to become a better version of myself. I’ve shared with you here many times that I started working out because I wanted a better body than all the fitness models I was following. I wanted to show the people around me that I was unstoppable. Believe me; humility had no part in my actions when I saw life from that perspective.
It’s not easy to be humble when the intention behind our actions is to show others that we’re great. In life, if we think that or act like we’re competing against everyone and everything, we can’t be humble; it’s simply not possible. Humility requires us to act from a place of love, and even when we try to convince ourselves than we can compete and be humble at the same time, the truth is the two practices can’t share the same space. If we want to be great, successful, and humble, then love needs to be the intention behind all our actions. Be great because you love yourself and those around you. Seek success in all aspects of your life because you love God and you want to show Him that huge, selfless love with your actions.
Please note: Being humble doesn’t mean we can’t recognize our strengths and amazing abilities. Being humble means we truly know who we are and have no need to prove it to others. I wanted to write about this human quality today because I need to remind myself to keep working toward it. I let myself fall into the pride trap so easily. I have a competitive mind, and when I’m not aware enough, I let that part of my mind take control over me and I stop being humble. I stop acting from a place of love. Every time I enter that competitive mode, I feel disconnected. When I compete against the world around me, I feel isolated, and to be completely honest, I don’t like that feeling.
I’ve had moments of experiencing how it feels to act from a place of love, where I don’t need to prove myself to anyone, and I can happily report that I love that feeling. My soul gets lighter, and I get rid of the annoying rush I usually experience when I act otherwise. Is it easy? Heck no! I’ve told you a million times I have an extremely competitive mind, so it takes a lot of work to shift from that. Also, the social pressure we experience from social media is completely out of control! Still, I can assure you that even though it’s hard to force ourselves to stop competing against everything and everyone, it’s totally worth it. The feeling of winning doesn’t compare with the feeling of pure love and humility. If you’re truly a great human being, you don’t need to prove it. Your actions will speak on your behalf. I want kindness and love to be my business card. I don’t want to be better than anyone; after all, this is MY journey. I’m doing the best I can with it because I’m the one walking this path. I don’t need to compete against anyone or anything because each one of use has a different purpose.
If you want to be humble, act from a place of love, my friends. We’re all unique and special, and we all need each other to make this world a better one. Why take an isolated path when we can embrace each other on the journey?
Love,
Irene
