"The kumara (sweet potato) does not need to say how sweet he is at first sight."
The ancient virtue of humility is not a particularly appealing one. Humility has nothing to do with being passive or weakness, and neither does it mean being a submissive snow flake.
Humility is an attitude of modesty that comes from understanding our place in the larger order of things. It entails not taking our desires, successes, or failings too seriously.
Humility in my opinion, and a strong belief handed down from my Nanny Mary, is the fundamental foundation of everything. It is the concrete slab in which everything else is layered and built upon. A humble perspective in life’s long journey.
In the past decade in particular, psychologists have rediscovered the importance of humility. They have established fascinating links between humility and our ability to learn and be effective leaders, and our readiness to engage, be social, interact with others, and forge the capacity to process repeated adverse experiences. Which serves us brilliantly if we wish to survive and thrive in this world.
Adopting a more humble mindset increases our overall psychological wellbeing and ensures –
- We don’t come across as a complete wanker to ourselves and
- We are not perceived by others as a Royal wanker
Humility is a character strength. As such, it is an essential component of moral character that is manifested in modesty, being empathetic, acknowledging and respecting others at a deeper level, and accurately understanding as well as owning our limitations (Harvey & Pauwels, 2004).
A famous trio of truly humble people are Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and International female boxing phenomenon Katie Taylor. All of them heroically dedicated their energies and time to serving their ideals and tirelessly working to improve the living conditions for other people. Yet, they remained modest and unpretentious about their astounding achievements and never tied them to their own personalities. They humbly served and serve not their egos, but instead a greater external cause.
We can see many examples of personalities who lack humility by turning to the world, zooming out and just observing, TV, our community, some sporting identities and even some corporations and family members.
Before I share a few Humble Perspective suggestions, I wanted to give you an insight to one of my greatest mentors and teachers: my Grandad Bert, the unapologetically masculine Scotsman, who I would often describe as a true gentleman in every essence of the word.
He was a Gentle. Man. Certainly not metrosexual, there was no moisturiser, tumeric lattes or chamomile tea and slippers before winding down to his favourite binaural beats pre sleep mediation app. (DISCLAMIER, I love that shit ).
He was a remarkable athlete, coach, husband to my Nanny, and Grandfather. What I witnessed growing up as a young boy was a man who had earned the right to give that Scottish trumpet a bloody good toot.
Yet, he was forever humble, even to the day he took his final breath.
As I write this chapter I remember many things, yet one in particular that stands out. Grandad Bert accompanied me on my first 10km Race. I was 8 years of age and he was staunch and stoic in his direction to ensure that I thanked every aid station attendant, every person that wished us well in the crowd, and high fived the other young runners upon completion.
This character strength he instilled in me and has remained with me. Through my footy career, boxing career, CrossFit life, and runners journey. It’s been a self belief, self worth, and endurance super power. I smile a mile wide in Ultra Marathon events when officials bump into me later and comment, “Oh, you were so well mannered, and positive in the aid station.”
A humble perspective; one of Grandad Bert’s gifts of legacy.