Aiming at Humbleness is a Safe Goal!
By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.
Most people dislike the abrasive, arrogant, egocentric individual. No matter how safely hidden those qualities may be, they are always noticeable and most often not appreciated. One can be determined, act decisively in all endeavors and, yet, retain the proper measure of humbleness which facilitates human relations and transactions.
Humbleness is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, most often it is a sign of strength and it enables one to achieve far more than the self-centeredness displayed by those devoid of this human quality!
Humbleness is not synonymous with humiliation, with poverty, ignorance, or any other undesirable experiences or conditions in which many fellow humans find themselves perpetually. Truly humble people are not those on whom others walk on as a means of taking full advantage.
Being humble denotes recognition of not having all answers to everything; having an eagerness to consult others to guarantee the soundness of one’s personal proposals and activities. It is the contrary of forcing one’s way in every situation and demanding allegiance to one’s self and the ideas one advances!
Choosing humbleness as a personal characteristic is a most safe starting point for multiple positive, enduring achievements! It is a healthy goal for every thinking person to pursue and demonstrate by word and deed. It also includes appreciation for what others have to share!
On my Twitter account, where I daily post personal ideas for challenge and encouragement, I once reflected that “being humble is a personal decision you make, a worthy goal you set for yourself, not a report you are expected to give!” In other words, just be humble and that attitude will take care of itself and do good among those who observe it, plus those who are more directly affected by your posture; you don’t need to call attention to it or it loses all its legitimacy!
In my youth I heard a report from a friend, which stayed with me ever since. The city of Wilmington, Delaware was just starting the use of modern city buses, which possessed some new, unique features. This friend took a visitor on a tour of the city so as to experience the comforts of that new bus. As they were reaching their destination to disembark, the host said to his guest when the bus stopped: “Step down and the door will open!” Unfortunately, those words were not understood and that caused them to remain in the bus until the next stop. By stepping down, one would press on a device which would signal the driver that someone was getting off, and the door would automatically open to the departing passengers.
I never forgot that true story because it illustrates that in daily life also, each of us needs to learn to step down in humbleness before doors of opportunity and genuine blessing will open for us!
