HUMILITY: Big Universe...Small, Ignorant Me! (4/24/2018)
I’m reading a book. The name of the book is BlackFish City: A Novel by Sam J. Miller (you should check it
out on Amazon!). It is a science-fiction
book, which is not what I normally read.
However, I am enjoying this book.
Today, I read a line that stopped me in my tracks. I read it and re-read it, and finally just
sat and let the words tumble over and over in my mind.
I can’t help but keep up the
volley in my mind. It goes something
like this:
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …A free mind has humility.
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …Seeking glory is an enslaving disease.
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …If I am self-absorbed, I am not self-aware.
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …Inner peace is not possible without humility
– the quiet virtue.
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …Humility is acknowledgment that our talents
and abilities are gifts.
Book: Life becomes significantly less stressful
when you accept that your ignorance will always dwarf your knowledge…
My brain: …I suck at being humble!
No wonder I’m stressed. I’m doing it to myself. There are some things that I know about myself. I don’t shy from taking charge of
things. I feel confident in my abilities
to handle most things. I trust my
instincts. I feel an obligation to stand
up for people, animals and things that aren’t getting a fair shake. And, from a very young age, I have been
willing to take on the tasks of being the “responsible” person for the greater
good – even if it meant that I wasn’t cool or got tagged as
self-righteous. Honestly, with a little
20/20 hind-sight, I can say with certainty – that is a heavy weight to
carry.
However, it goes beyond just
me and my existence. We live in a
society where fortune favors the strong and modesty is often perceived as being
weak. Ladder climbing and using others
as the rungs to get to the top is considered normal. Egos feed ravenously on attention, glory and
power. How did this become the accepted norm? How did this become an acceptable part of our
society? Is this really who we are? Is that really who I want to be? Is that how I want to be remembered? Can someone lead and inspire and still be
humble?
I think it is possible – if we
are willing to adjust our line of thinking a little.
I had a boss for a couple
years that taught me many valuable lessons.
Her name was Tisha and she was unique and wonderful. I learned more from her in the 2 years I
worked with her than I had ever learned up until them. There were many things that made her unique
in her position, but a couple that changed the way that I envisioned and knew a
position of power to be.
She was confident not egotistical. It is easy to confuse ego and confidence, but
the irony is that when one is truly and sincerely confident, all it takes is
his or her presence alone to be deeply felt by others. And her presence alone was electric. She didn’t need to tell anyone of her successes. Her actions and deeds were evident without
her boasting. She could inspire and
command attention and admiration without saying a word. Her presence alone was a source of powerful,
positive energy. Her accomplishments and
talents were and are numerous, but there was not a need for her to broadcast
them. I believe that she was a genuinely
humble person. Her presence was a combination
of awareness, modesty, gratitude, and compassion for other human beings – A perfect
marriage between grace and fortitude. At
therein lied her expansive pool of power.
How did she do it? What is the
secret recipe? When I examine her
persona, these are the things that I find most inspiring:
1.
She
did nice things for people – just because she wanted to. I often saw evidence of her compassion that
went unspoken or unmentioned.
2.
She
never boasted or bragged about what she had.
Her successes were not a means to hold importance over others.
3.
She listened.
Many times, she conducted meetings – her meetings - in which she
listened more than she spoke.
4.
She
didn’t “one-up” people. Regardless of
her status or place, she took joy is the ideas and successes of others not
requiring the lime-light be only hers.
5.
She
didn’t pass judgment on people or put them down to lift herself up.
6.
She
was not concerned with always being right or having the last word.
7.
She
knew people – important people, but she didn’t name-drop.
8.
She
was amazingly confident and had a magnetic personality, but she didn’t need
constant attention.
9.
She
was kind.
She was and is a great example of being
strong and powerful, yet humble. She has
figured out how to tap into her real power – not her accomplishments or net
worth – but the real power that lies within.
The irony of the whole thing is that her humility makes her “shiny” and gets
her noticed - people want to be around her and in her presence. With a humble heart, she
knows that she is appreciated, and she believes in herself, which in turn,
gives others permission to believe in themselves. Talk about power!
A Picture Graphic by Autumn Boyet Stinton ©2018
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