HUMILITY

In the past few weeks, I have embarked on taking courses to upgrade my skills. Skills that I can use for work. And skills that I think would be relevant in the future, about 5 years from now. I learned a lot of things and have used some of what I had gained with the current work that I have. It worked pretty well and I feel a nice sense of accomplishment. I feel proud of myself.

About 7 years ago, I accomplished something great. It was during the time when we were figuring out something for the client that would also affect other vendors that they have. We went into a summit together with the other vendors and discussed it there. And during that time, since I had figured it out and it was taken as a strategy that all vendors should take, I felt high up in the clouds. A star. The one who knows it all.

I forgot that everyone in that room is smart and probably knows more than me.

Which led to a slow downfall.

It is good to be proud of what we have accomplished. I think it is just right. Why not? We have done the work. We have put in the effort. It is something we have created. That gives us a dopamine spike. It creates an alpha in us. That we are better than the rest. That we are leaders.

However, when it becomes too much, when that pride becomes hubris, we forget that we are just human.

We did not accomplish anything by ourselves. Sure, you may say that you went through your life by your own but along the way, people had helped you in some way or another. Even that one interview that you would say you aced it would also require the help of the interviewer to pass you. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

When we discount that and become over self-confident, we stop. We stop pursuing. We stop growing. We stop looking at risks. We stop becoming aware. Aware of our shortcomings. Aware of our faults. Aware of the risks that lie ahead because we simply put in our heads that no one can beat us in our own little world, or universe since we are so proud of ourselves.

For me, I keep remembering the day when that steady decline reached bottom. The question that I heard was, “what happened to him?”. That ringed a lot. What that does even mean? That was my thought before. And before long, I realized and asked myself the same question, “what happened to me?”

I kept looking back at that success. I did not look at the road. I was looking back not forward. I did not see the risks. I did not see other challenges. And eventually, I tripped and fell. That woke me up. “Where am I? What happened?”

In life, we will gain a lot of success. But, we will have more challenges. Those struggles and problems are inevitable. It will always be there. There is nothing we could do but to overcome them. Before we do something to leap those hurdles, we need to see it first. We see it by removing the blindfold caused by hubris. We remove the blindfold by becoming humble.

Humility is a powerful tool. We should embrace and use it. Not too much as it may affect our mental health. Just enough that it creates a balance between knowing what we have achieved and knowing that we accomplish it not alone but with others. Not enough to bring ourselves down by having a low view of our accomplishments and importance but just modest enough to acknowledge what we have done and there is still left to do.

Be proud to remember we can do things. Be humble to remember we need others’ help. Be proud to have a sense of accomplishments. Be humble to anticipate future roadblocks.

Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We are not so great as we think we are. Let us stay humble and continue to achieve great things.