Humility

Imagine you’re competing at the Olympics and break the world record for the 100-meter dash.

Afterwards, a reporter approaches you and asks, “How does it feel to be the fastest person in the world?”

How would you respond?

In similar experiences (although not as cool as setting a new world record), I’ve noticed that many individuals don’t accept this type of praise.

Trying to be humble, they respond, “It’s nothing really, you’re talking too highly of me. I’m not the fastest person in the world.”

Although I applaud their effort to silence their pride, this isn’t humility.

Christian theologian and author C.S. Lewis says that “humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.”

If you are objectively the fastest person in the world, and you deny that, then you aren’t being humble. That’s called lying.

Instead, we should deeply and sincerely accept any praise, and give thanks to everything and everyone that made it possible.

As a Christian, I always aim to give thanks to God, who gives me strength, wisdom, and the gift to be where I am in my life.

More broadly, being humble means being genuinely curious about others and ask about their life. It means to build empathy and understand how your actions affect others. It means to be appreciative of the people and opportunities that made you grow.

It does not mean thinking less of yourself.

Almost every single problem in this world can be traced back to pride. Yet by embracing a humble character, we can serve those around us and (as cheesy as it sounds) make the world a better place.

Keep making progress. Change for the better. Live the Heming-way.

Til next time,

Trevor