In My Humble Opinion
I have not always been humble but in all humility I must say that these days I am more humble than I used to be. Okay, so I know saying I'm humble seems to automatically disqualify me from being humble. But in my humble opinion, I would tend to disagree, although I will concede that saying you are humble does not make you humble. Confused yet?
Many of us tend to see humility as taking the lowest position and thinking of everyone else as more important than ourselves. So we hear things like I am your humble servant. But being a servant does not automatically make you humble. I am not claiming to be the final word on what humility is but I would like to share some thoughts if I may. Actually I believe that true humility starts with the way we think and the way we perceive things.
As I have said before, I am a cover driver for the school district I live in. Cover driver sounds more important than sub, but that's what I do. I fill in for drivers who are sick or absent for some reason. When I fill in for someone I am given a route book with directions to all the stops. Sometimes it is accurate and other times it is wrong or incomplete. The routes I do may be new to me but the students I pick up or drop off ride the bus everyday and often know the exact way to go.
In fact, when I have driven busses before and even if I am following the written instructions, the students will tell me I am not going the way the regular driver goes. Elementary kids are really good at that. At times it seems like everyone on the bus is telling you that you are going the wrong way. High school students are a little different and more apt to let you wander aimlessly although, they too will holler if you miss their stop.
So you ask, what does that have to do with humility? I am so glad you asked. One aspect of humility, in my humble opinion, is to be believe that everyone has something to offer and that you can learn something from everybody. So I have learned that it is wise to listen to my students when they tell me I am going the wrong way or where their stop is. I know I don't know the route and I am willing to accept direction. That is the essence of humility to me: Knowing I don't know everything and being willing to receive help and being thankful for it. Since I am learning to do that more, I can say I am more humble than I used to be.
Last week I mentioned one habit that is helpful to incorporate into our routines is to send out a thank you email or text everyday. One reason for doing that is it makes you aware of all the people who have impacted your life in positive ways. Truth is, no one gets to where they want to go without some help. Recognizing that gives you a good start at humility.
I submit that one of the enemies of humility is our own thinking. So let me help you out a little. You don't have to be the best at everything. You don't have to know everything. Everybody does not have to like you. There, doesn't that make you feel better? Now all you have to do is just be yourself.
One last thought and I will let you go. Taking the lowest place is not always humble. Doing what you were made for with a realization that you didn't give yourself that gift or talent, and you had a lot of help takes you closer to true humility. Just a thought
Since I am not great at making decisions I thought a little discussion on how to make good decisions would be a good thing. Don't miss "It's Your Decision!"
Many of us tend to see humility as taking the lowest position and thinking of everyone else as more important than ourselves. So we hear things like I am your humble servant. But being a servant does not automatically make you humble. I am not claiming to be the final word on what humility is but I would like to share some thoughts if I may. Actually I believe that true humility starts with the way we think and the way we perceive things.
As I have said before, I am a cover driver for the school district I live in. Cover driver sounds more important than sub, but that's what I do. I fill in for drivers who are sick or absent for some reason. When I fill in for someone I am given a route book with directions to all the stops. Sometimes it is accurate and other times it is wrong or incomplete. The routes I do may be new to me but the students I pick up or drop off ride the bus everyday and often know the exact way to go.
So you ask, what does that have to do with humility? I am so glad you asked. One aspect of humility, in my humble opinion, is to be believe that everyone has something to offer and that you can learn something from everybody. So I have learned that it is wise to listen to my students when they tell me I am going the wrong way or where their stop is. I know I don't know the route and I am willing to accept direction. That is the essence of humility to me: Knowing I don't know everything and being willing to receive help and being thankful for it. Since I am learning to do that more, I can say I am more humble than I used to be.
Last week I mentioned one habit that is helpful to incorporate into our routines is to send out a thank you email or text everyday. One reason for doing that is it makes you aware of all the people who have impacted your life in positive ways. Truth is, no one gets to where they want to go without some help. Recognizing that gives you a good start at humility.
I submit that one of the enemies of humility is our own thinking. So let me help you out a little. You don't have to be the best at everything. You don't have to know everything. Everybody does not have to like you. There, doesn't that make you feel better? Now all you have to do is just be yourself.
One last thought and I will let you go. Taking the lowest place is not always humble. Doing what you were made for with a realization that you didn't give yourself that gift or talent, and you had a lot of help takes you closer to true humility. Just a thought
Since I am not great at making decisions I thought a little discussion on how to make good decisions would be a good thing. Don't miss "It's Your Decision!"
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