Adding humility to your personality
Humility, according to Google, is the quality of having a modest or low opinion of oneself. A person exhibiting such a quality is referred to as being humble. It is widely considered a virtue. Well, at least in my opinion.
The problem with humility, just like all other commonly perceived virtues, is that it is hard to imbibe. As we grow, we achieve certain milestones or hone valuable skills that fill us with pride. This could be anything. It starts from that beautiful toy your dad got you that made everyone else jealous in class and ends at that sports car you just drove out of the showroom. For some, it could be their nationality too. We all take pride in our nationality but it isn't hard to imagine that pride turns into arrogance when people look down on people from other nations. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between pride and arrogance and you never realise when you've crossed it. Even if a person is not largely arrogant, he/she is likely to exhibit it in some part of his/her life or the other. You can be humble when you're trying out tennis for the first time and act like a know-it-all when you're discussing art.
It is true that I'm no different from everyone else. There are times when I've acted arrogantly. Even though I try to curb it, every now and then, something will happen and I'll end up behaving in a manner that I'll later regret. I've done it in the past, I do it now sometimes and in all probability, I'll end up doing it in the future as well. I guess it's a flaw that is as natural as being human itself.
However, I've realised that there are certain actions that leave a person humbled. They are typically things that the person finds beneath him/her or acts that he/she is unable to perform well and consequently feels inferior. Like all things that make each human unique, these are likely to be unique to you. Everyone has that one thing they wish they could do better.
This may not be true for people in general but I've found this to be quite true for me. Over the past few months, I've indulged in cooking, laundry, ironing etc. and all these acts have humbled me. It has made me cherish and value the people who have served me back in India. Every time I had a hard time cleaning the pan or ironing out the wrinkles off my linen shirt, I have, in a way, felt connected with the poor back home. Performing household chores over the past few months has humbled me to a great extent.
Over time, I've started enjoying these in a way. Household chores sort of calms me down in a way. I can have the worst possible day in school or work but I can come home, cook something, clean the dishes and at the end of it all, I can be calm and composed again. The effort makes the food taste better. It also brings a feeling of having earned it. On top of it, the whole process makes me feel insignificant as a person. It makes me feel so small and powerless that all other worries just melt away and I realise that many of them exist because of my arrogance. This way, I internalise the problem as a problem within me, something I need to correct within me, and by pointing the finger at myself, I am filled with humility.
Another habit that humbles me is working out in the gym. Lifting weights in the gym makes me feel weak and powerless beyond compare. No matter how heavy I lift, there is always a heavier weight to lift, there is always someone who is lifting that heavier weight and there is always someone who is in better shape than me. I'm not saying that depresses me. Even though I would love to have that sculpted Greek God like body shape, it's not the destination that I'm excited about but the journey itself. The journey to having that body is what humbles me. Lifting weights makes me feel so weak and unfit that it knocks the arrogance right out of me.
Thinking about it even deeper, I guess this is why most great/successful men and women have an extremely humble personality, at least the ones who had to work super hard for it. The whole process and journey from being insignificant to achieving something extraordinary humbles them so much that by the time they reach the point when they can be arrogant, they don't wish to be arrogant at all.
So this is my advice to you. Try and be humble. You won't always succeed. You don't even have to be humble all the time. There's no harm in having pride over your achievements as long as it doesn't cross the border to arrogance. However, to keep a check on yourself, indulge in activities that humble you. It could be volunteer work for some and marathon running for others. For me, it's gym and household chores. Do things that make you realise your flaws. Do things that make you feel imperfect. It is this feeling that will add humility to your personality and make sure your pride doesn't translate to arrogance.
The problem with humility, just like all other commonly perceived virtues, is that it is hard to imbibe. As we grow, we achieve certain milestones or hone valuable skills that fill us with pride. This could be anything. It starts from that beautiful toy your dad got you that made everyone else jealous in class and ends at that sports car you just drove out of the showroom. For some, it could be their nationality too. We all take pride in our nationality but it isn't hard to imagine that pride turns into arrogance when people look down on people from other nations. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between pride and arrogance and you never realise when you've crossed it. Even if a person is not largely arrogant, he/she is likely to exhibit it in some part of his/her life or the other. You can be humble when you're trying out tennis for the first time and act like a know-it-all when you're discussing art.
It is true that I'm no different from everyone else. There are times when I've acted arrogantly. Even though I try to curb it, every now and then, something will happen and I'll end up behaving in a manner that I'll later regret. I've done it in the past, I do it now sometimes and in all probability, I'll end up doing it in the future as well. I guess it's a flaw that is as natural as being human itself.
However, I've realised that there are certain actions that leave a person humbled. They are typically things that the person finds beneath him/her or acts that he/she is unable to perform well and consequently feels inferior. Like all things that make each human unique, these are likely to be unique to you. Everyone has that one thing they wish they could do better.
This may not be true for people in general but I've found this to be quite true for me. Over the past few months, I've indulged in cooking, laundry, ironing etc. and all these acts have humbled me. It has made me cherish and value the people who have served me back in India. Every time I had a hard time cleaning the pan or ironing out the wrinkles off my linen shirt, I have, in a way, felt connected with the poor back home. Performing household chores over the past few months has humbled me to a great extent.
Over time, I've started enjoying these in a way. Household chores sort of calms me down in a way. I can have the worst possible day in school or work but I can come home, cook something, clean the dishes and at the end of it all, I can be calm and composed again. The effort makes the food taste better. It also brings a feeling of having earned it. On top of it, the whole process makes me feel insignificant as a person. It makes me feel so small and powerless that all other worries just melt away and I realise that many of them exist because of my arrogance. This way, I internalise the problem as a problem within me, something I need to correct within me, and by pointing the finger at myself, I am filled with humility.
Another habit that humbles me is working out in the gym. Lifting weights in the gym makes me feel weak and powerless beyond compare. No matter how heavy I lift, there is always a heavier weight to lift, there is always someone who is lifting that heavier weight and there is always someone who is in better shape than me. I'm not saying that depresses me. Even though I would love to have that sculpted Greek God like body shape, it's not the destination that I'm excited about but the journey itself. The journey to having that body is what humbles me. Lifting weights makes me feel so weak and unfit that it knocks the arrogance right out of me.
Thinking about it even deeper, I guess this is why most great/successful men and women have an extremely humble personality, at least the ones who had to work super hard for it. The whole process and journey from being insignificant to achieving something extraordinary humbles them so much that by the time they reach the point when they can be arrogant, they don't wish to be arrogant at all.
So this is my advice to you. Try and be humble. You won't always succeed. You don't even have to be humble all the time. There's no harm in having pride over your achievements as long as it doesn't cross the border to arrogance. However, to keep a check on yourself, indulge in activities that humble you. It could be volunteer work for some and marathon running for others. For me, it's gym and household chores. Do things that make you realise your flaws. Do things that make you feel imperfect. It is this feeling that will add humility to your personality and make sure your pride doesn't translate to arrogance.
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