The importance of humility and how to take steps towards it
What is humility?
Humility is simply having a low view of your own importance. Now there’s a distinct difference between seeing yourself with low importance and not taking care of yourself. Being humble to me is not attracting attention to the good things that you do or the things that you have. For example, let’s say that you get very good grades in school, going around and telling everyone you talk to about how well you done. That’s not being humble. Being humble would be appreciating that you done something good but being content with not having to share this with others. A great example of this is Bill Gates. Even though he’s worth over a 100 billion he still does his own dishes. This is because he doesn’t see himself as more important than others.
Why is it important?
Humility is essential if you want to live a happy life. One of the main reasons' humility is so important to happiness as it allows us to accept failure and defeat better which we will all go through at some point. People who are humble also attract others who are humble which will bring more positivity to their life. One of the biggest signs of a humble person is that they do things for others without asking for anything in return. Being around people like this makes you feel much more at ease rather than those who will do good for you and then hold it over your head.
Humility also plays a huge role in your relationships, both with others and yourself. Being humble allows you to appreciate the good that others do for you. It keeps you grounded so that you stay open to learning and that is what life is all about. Your relationship with yourself and everyone around you will constantly be changing and often you’ll need to be humble and put others before yourself if you want them to be successful.
A humble person treats everybody with respect. Humility teaches us to believe that we are not much better or worse than anybody else, all people have great value, and all people deserve to be treated as such.
Did you know?
“Humble people handle stress more effectively and report higher levels of physical and mental well-being. They also show greater generosity, helpfulness, and gratitude—all things that can only serve to draw us closer to others.” (1)
How do we implement it? Personally, the best way to try and stay humble is by being grateful for what you have. Often, I find myself in situations where I want to show off what I have but simply reminding myself that there’s no way that I could’ve got any of it without the help of others. So, every day I try to think of around 5 things that I’m grateful for. Another effective way which might sound a little strange is stargazing. There’s something so special and underappreciated about looking up into space and seeing the vast size of our universe. For me, it grounds me and helps me to understand that I’m not as important as I like to think I am. It’s a humbling experience to think about how lucky I am to be alive and all the factors that had to work perfectly to me to be able to do something so simple like breathing. When it comes to being humble around others empathy is key. Try to understand why people are in the situation that they’re in. Often, we would like to show off to those less fortunate than ourselves but it’s important to remember that it’s not necessarily they are the way they are.
Here are a few short tips to help you become more humble:
Don’t compare yourself to other – we all have our own unique story, focus on your own
Listen to others – this spending time to show that you value others which is the essence of being humble
Be self-aware – learn when you’re being humble and when you’re acting out of ego so you can change it
Appreciate people – reminding people that you care and value them by random acts of kindness will help you to put others before yourself
Ask questions – this is a great way for you to show yourself that you don’t know everything
References
1. Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life [Internet]. Greater Good. 2020 [cited 2 March 2020]. Available from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/