Humility

We have seen people become successful with their sheer talent and their business rockets from one business quarter to another. The overwhelming abrupt success puts them in a position where they encounter the challenge to keep their feet on the ground. In our society, there are people who have only found a little bit of success and starts to treat others differently. Success is not the problem, it is the attitude it can bring. Success can get into your head which in turn can become the reason for your downfall. We have also witnessed people moving forward when they have already experienced success. If we look closely we will find the most successful persons possess the virtue of humility in them, which keeps them grounded.

Over a period of time, the importance of humility as a moral character has faded. We no longer try to attain this core value. What is Humility? It`s a method of thinking, it`s an attitude of spiritual modesty. Humility is also about having accurate self-knowledge and a generous acknowledgement of the qualities of others. It`s about recognition of the possibility that you may be wrong. Leading with humility is about taking oneself out of the equation, about keeping the spotlight on others. It isn`t about being submissive or thinking you aren`t good enough. It is the understanding that you are neither more important nor less important than others. CS Lewis remarked, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less".

Humility can be cultivated, though it is the hardest trait to learn because it starts with the self-validation that you are not always right, that you don`t have all the answers. A humble person always listens to criticism and accepts it to fuel his drive, they don't tie their self-worth to the things. A person who expresses gratitude can induce humility. A humble person appreciates the efforts of others and values them treats them equal, another key quality of humbleness is to spend time with others and listen to their feelings. An intellectually humble person is always open to learning, he will never say he knows about things that he actually doesn`t know. When we found ourselves in a presence of a person who radiates humility our heart beats a little more quietly and something inside us calms us down. This is the quality of humility. A humble person grows old like a banyan tree, an oversized piece of wood filled with a bunch of leaves beautifully and carefully placed to grow together, new roots grown from the branches and down to the earth to support additional growth. This is the trait we should crave to develop for the greater good of our society, our nation.