We live in a complicated world that has given us confusing concepts of humility. Simply speaking, being humble is an admirable quality and it means modesty, simplicity, and lack of pride.
It’s not about putting yourself down or hurting your self-esteem, but it means to have faith in yourself and feeling grounded amidst all the temptations surrounding you in reality.
So, if you are trying to find out ways to better yourself, you must learn how to be humble in your interactions with others.
What does being humble mean?
SUMMARY
Humility means not being showy and arrogant. It also refers to modesty and having a low opinion of oneself. You are not proud of your achievements but are conscious of your deficits and shortcomings. Being humble is all about being less haughty and boastful.
If you have ever come across a boastful person, you must have become irritated and annoyed. These individuals always have a false pride attached with their behavior. They think that they are better than others.
In doing so, they become unpopular among friends and families. They get busy showing off their accomplishments and may not accept failures at all. Sometimes, these individuals become haughty and aggressive as well.
In the long run, they may find it hard to connect with others at an emotional level. Thus, it is important to know the ways one can become more humble in their day-to-day life.
Humility is an admirable virtue that keeps you grounded. You become a modest and down-to-earth person, being liked and loved by all.
A part of humility is also about realizing your flaws and weaknesses. It makes you aware of your key skills and also those that you cannot do or accomplish in life.
Being humble also signifies having a low opinion of your achievements. You’re not eager to show off and tell the world what you can do and take pride in.
A humble person never draws the attention of others to oneself. They keep a low profile social life and never seek the spotlight.
Being humble also means not wanting praise and appreciation from others. The humble person is aware of his/her limitations and knows how to turn failures into big success stories by using the effort and blessings of others.
After all, humility is modesty and keeping aside one’s pride for the betterment of ‘self’ and others. It improves the quality of life you will lead and can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health.
How to be more humble? (15 tips to practice it in the right manner)
People misunderstand humility as a sign of weakness. There are some who think that being humble is a self-deprecation behavior but in reality it is not so.
When you become humble, you become aware of your innate goodness. You are in a better position to develop your self-esteem. There will be increased gratitude. You’ll be able to forgive those who sin against you and will never harbor resentments against anyone.
Being humble increases your ability to see things as they are. You do not see the world through tinted-glass rather see it through the lens of kindness and gratitude.
Being humble improves your happiness quotient and you are at peace with yourself.
Let us learn more about the various ways by which we can cultivate more humility in our daily lives.
1. Just be who you are
There is no need to compare yourself with others and feel bad if you are a little less than anyone else. Being humble means to cherish the way you are. Embrace all your flaws and inefficiencies because it makes you the human you’re in reality.
Avoid constant checking upon yourself whether you are at par with others. It may make you look for ways to showcase all your achievements and speak about them loudly to others.
Humility can be developed if you stay quiet about your achievements and not share unless asked for by others.
2. Admit your mistakes
A part of being human is to accept your mistakes and inadequacies. You need to accept the fact that you cannot be good at everything even if you try your best.
Give yourself enough room to make and acknowledge mistakes so that your modesty appears on the surface. It is good to praise other’s achievements and accept the fact that there will always be someone who is better than you.
Never run away after committing a mistake. Accept your faults and become true to yourself. Never deflect or blame-shift your faults onto others because it will turn you into an arrogant being.
3. Understand your flaws and remove them
You should know your weaknesses and try to remove them. Stop competing with others because you’re not here to prove things to others, but to yourself.
When you recognize your flaws and weaknesses, you are in a better position to keep a low profile. You will accept that there are certain parts of ‘you’ that need to be developed.
4. Practice gratitude
Always be grateful for what you have achieved in life. Show gratitude to your parents, spouse, friends, and well-wishers who must have helped you realizing your life goals successfully.
Be thankful for all the tiny things that you have in your life that others may not have. Gratitude teaches you humility.
When you express gratitude, you’ll never show off or boast your accomplishments publicly. Maybe you will not feel like doing it.
5. Avoid bragging
Another way to become more humble is by remaining quiet about your accomplishments until asked for. Don’t be loud about your achievements and let people know that you are better than them.
Learn to avoid bragging and share your achievements only when asked for. Do it in a polite and subtle manner so that you don’t appear loud and boastful.
Give up your sense of pride and you’ll surely become more humble in your attitude and behavior.
6. Try to be open-minded and considerate
Feel the air in the room and try to be on the same page as others. Consider what others might be facing and dealing with. This makes you realize different perspectives related to the issue.
Being open-minded and considerate means to embrace change and becoming aware of others’ problems so that you know that you are not someone better or worse than others.
Try to develop your empathy skills and put yourself in others’ shoes to analyze the situation closely. Boasting can neither help you nor others. It will never help you to resolve problematic life issues.
7. Praise others
Learn to appreciate and praise others for their accomplishments. In this way, you’ll realize that there are many others who are at par with you or better than you.
Humble people don’t show off and never speak about what they did; rather try to focus on how others contributed to their achievements.
Thus, if you want to become more humble, just praise all those who helped you, contributing their share into the success you have in hand.
You should always take pride in others’ achievement and celebrate their success stories publicly. Learn to highlight others first. This makes you a considerate and modest being. It also makes you selfless and meek.
8. Practice mindful listening
Always listen to the woes and concerns of others. Humility is all about putting others in front and allowing them to share their stories with you.
When you allow others to express themselves freely and listen patiently, you become more humble and considerate.
You may not be able to remove their woes or solve their problems but at least you can make them feel heard and understood by being by their side.
9. Learn to take feedback
Humble people always remain open to feedback no matter whether it’s good or bad. They prefer to receive feedback and better themselves as a human. In this way, they make their lives more blissful.
If you want to become humble, practice receiving all kinds of feedback and never feel disheartened. Remember that their feedback is important for your personal growth and development.
10. Seek help from others when you need it
Humble people always seek suggestions from others in times of need. They remain open-minded to receive advice from others so that they can use those tips to solve their varied life issues.
11. Stop comparing yourself with others
Another way to develop humility is by not comparing yourself with others. If you compare yourself with others constantly, you may develop jealousy and that will make you take pride in your accomplishments and show off more often than before.
12. Accept responsibility as yours and not others
You can become more humble by accepting responsibility for your actions and deeds. Avoid blaming others for some mistakes that you have made.
When you accept the onus upon you, you become modest and humble. Humble people always assume their part in any decision making process. They never project, or start a blame game that can impact others’ life badly
13. Remain curious always
You can be more humble by remaining curious and open to new learning and experiences. Humble people always wish to learn more.
They are open-minded and flexible as well. Humble people crave more knowledge because they accept the fact that they are not the best.
There are so many things that they do not know. And maybe there is so much unknown stuff that they’re seeking answers for.
14. Give up your language of pride
The best way to become more humble is by giving up your sense of pride. Try to develop compassion and empathy and talk to people politely so that you can make them aware that they are heard and accepted as they are.
Nobody likes to be around proud people who get busy blowing his own trumpet all the time.
15. Apologize whenever you make mistakes that have hurt others
Learn to say ‘sorry’ for your mistakes. This makes you a humble being. You will just have to overcome your pride and let others know that you have done something wrong and you are ready to accept your mistake and apologize for the same. Just make sure that you do not repeat your offense again ever in future.
Is it good to be humble? (Advantages of humility)
Yes, it is always good to be humble. It’s an admirable personality trait that makes you a popular and lovable person in social circles. It improves your happiness quotient and makes you a better person. Others around you also live with more happiness and peace.
Being humble allows you to forgive others and never harbor resentments and annoyance against anyone. You are always at peace with your inner and outer world.
Humility makes you a modest, relaxed, and down-to-earth person. There are several other benefits of practicing humbleness in your daily lives.
- Humbleness helps to develop compassion and empathy.
- Being humble allows more happiness to brighten up your inner world. Research findings have revealed that humble people are happy, and have more positive emotions lying deep within them.
- Being humble also allows you to feel happy about the achievements of others.
- You will become less self-involved and take more interest in satisfying the needs of others.
- It also helps in self-awareness and self-development.
- Humbleness strengthens your emotional connection with family, friends, and the entire humanity in general.
- It magnifies your ability to perceive the problems of others.
- You stay grounded always.
- Humble people become better employees and do well in school as always.
- They are social favorites and people enjoy their company.
- Humble people are self-controlled and do not believe in magnifying their accomplishments publicly. Thus, they are admired by others for being meek and modest.
- They are free from biases and prejudice.
- Humble people are helpful and always step forward to assist others in need.
- Humility teaches patience and helps you overcome bigger challenges in life by making you more grounded and asking for help from others, whenever needed.
How to be humble before God? (7 ways to reckon)
The Holy Bible says “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor – Proverbs 29:23
A Humble person is dearly loved and praised by others. God tells you to be humble and leave aside your pride. You are supposed to adorn your inner beauty by love, compassion, empathy, and patience, and then only you become a God’s chosen child.
There are various ways by which you can walk along with humbleness and modesty before the Almighty.
1. Thank the Lord for whatever he has given you
While doing your daily prayers, do not forget to thank the Lord for all the things that you have in your life. Praise him and show your gratitude. Your thankfulness will help to stop the pride growing in you.
Just think about one thing every day that is beautiful in your life, and thank the Lord for giving you such a thing. Thank him for the food you eat, the shelter that you have, and the family, and spouse, children who are with you through thick and thin.
The constant gratefulness strengthens your connection with the Lord and makes you more humble nas submissive before his super powers.
2. Confess before the Lord
Confession is self-realization. You know that you have done something wrong and want to admit it before the Almighty to relieve yourself from the emotional burden of your wrongdoings. It’s a reality check that guides all your future behavior and actions.
The Lord’s forgiveness gives you inner peace as if your sins were washed away with a new light of hope and optimism to live better, healthier lives.
3. Accept humiliations
When you receive humiliations from others, your spirit gets cleaned and you become more humble and patient. Initially you may feel hurt and resentful towards the people who have humiliated you; but later on you learn to become stronger than before.
Humiliations teach patience and perseverance. You learn a lot and may become more careful about your dealing in future. God taught you a life lesson in disguise that you needed the most to become a modest being.
4. Never worry about your social status
If you want to become more humble before the Almighty, do not worry about your social status because before the Lord, we all are on the same page. Do not compare yourself with the lives of others and try to elevate yourself. It will give you only pain and suffering, nothing else.
Pride is not forgiving. It makes you down in the eyes of the Lord. So, stop comparing yourself with the social statuses of others. Just remain who you’re and serve fellow human beings whenever you can. In this way, you’ll become more humble and acceptable in God’s eyes.
5. Use humor
You can lighten tense moments by using laughter and humor. Humor dissolves pride and makes you a modest person. It helps you to admit wrongdoings easily.
It also means you are more accepting about what others are saying or doing. The almighty sees your inner humbleness and blesses you with his grace and holiness to have a fulfilled life.
6. Listen to others patiently
The Lord tells you to listen to others patiently without getting agitated or irritated. Let others share their stories with you. When you listen mindfully, it gives an indication that you’re open to learning from others.
It also shows that you are concerned about others and trying to understand whether you are capable of helping them in some way.
7. Serve humanity
The best way to show your humbleness is by serving the poor and ailing people. It allows you to develop your softer side and makes you get closer to the Almighty.
How to be humble in life? (20 tips to consider)
You can incorporate some daily tips in your daily life and practice them consciously to become more humble.
- Do not allow words like ‘me’, ‘myself’, and ‘I’, take over you.
- Allowing more love and affection fills your heart. It will dissolve the pride, if any lying hidden inside your psyche.
- You should remind yourself every day that you have strengths and weaknesses like any other human being in this world.
- Remind yourself that you are not special in special ways.
- Practice being humane when you see others in distress.
- Try not to be defensive by wearing hatred and arrogance as your armor.
- Speak politely with everyone.
- Avoid being rude to elders and children.
- Stay grounded by accepting the fact that you could be wrong as well.
- Help others without expecting anything in return.
- Gratitude is the key to humility. Practice it consciously every day in your life.
- Accept criticisms with open arms and improve your shortcomings. There is nothing more to humbleness than to admit your faults and overcome them completely.
- It’s okay to disagree with others. Learn that you and the other person may not always be on the same page.
- Seek opinions and suggestions from others. It makes you humble. You do not become a lesser person if you seek other’s suggestions and use them in your life.
- Never feel superior about yourself because in God’s eyes, we are all equal.
- Volunteer in charitable organizations that are meant to serve humanity. You’ll feel closer to the goodness that humanity already has.
- Never ask others to do something that you will avoid doing in your day to day life.
- Avoid showing off in public places. No matter how subtly you do it, you’ll be caught. People will not like this gesture of yours’ at all.
- Always surround yourself with people who know more than you or are better than you. You’ll be able to learn much more from their experiences and life stories. Remember that by doing this; you will not become a lesser being but an empowered and humble person.
- Learn to accept that everyone in the room is important and they have many important qualities that might be missing in you. So, avoid boasting and feel the same shared space humbly.
How to be humble at work? (12 tips you can use)
It is a fact that a well-functioning workplace depends upon the competence and innate goodness of its workers. A part of this process is to hire people who are grateful, skillful, and have a lot of humbleness in them.
The humble employees are always a blessing for the organization. They bring in their good qualities to the organization so that it innovates and succeeds like never before.
If you are looking for tips to improve your humbleness, you’re in the right section of the article:
1. Identify the areas where you can improve and learn more
You can become more humble if you practice analyzing those areas that need improvement. You should always remain open to new learning and take other’s help to improvise yourself in key areas of your work.
For example: if you struggle with delivering presentations, you should seek help from fellow employees and try to improve your skills.
2. Accept constructive criticisms from others wisely
Once you know the areas that need to be improved, you should take all sorts of criticisms in your stride. Always seek feedback from other team members, or managers and let them give you honest feedback about your performance.
You need to be open-minded in taking their suggestions as it will benefit your professional journey. You will excel in your work with more new learning from shared experiences of others.
3. Try to learn and experience new things always
A part of being humble is to stay flexible and learn new things from others. You should realize that there are many other better ways of doing things than what you have already done. Outdated models and practices at work may not work out that well.
Thus, you should look for ways to make things cost effective and innovative. Thus, keep yourself open to new learning that can benefit all in the organization.
4. Own your faults
In workplaces, always take ownership of your wrongdoing. Admit those mistakes that you have committed and overcome them efficiently. This gesture shows your team members and managers that you are a humble person who can do anything to better the loopholes in the system and make it better.
5. Seek help when you need it
Another part of being humble is to accept the fact that you have room for improvement. There are subtle ways in which you can improve the project that you’re working on. Maybe, sharing insights from fellow employees will make your work look more need-based and worthy.
For this, always seek assistance when you need it. You will also know the prime areas to focus on and improvise in the best possible way.
6. Stay confident
Being humble doesn’t mean you are weak and submissive; or you need to undermine your confidence level. You should always stand up for your rights and let others know your worth in the workplace.
Remember that your worth is important to you. Your humble feelings shouldn’t justify the ill treatment of others towards you.
7. Listen well
Learn to listen well and speak later. It gives you an opportunity to stay modest and realize that others can have better ideas in their kitty.
Their ideas can illuminate your knowledge as well. Thus staying humble means to gain various perspectives that can benefit the organization as a whole.
8. Always give freedom to others
When you’re working in a team, learn to give space and freedom to others. Allow them to speak their mind and show that you are open to new ideas and shared experiences. Never let others think that you can do all the tasks better than others.
Another part of being humble is to allow you to work collaboratively. Allow the team members to complete their assigned role and contribute fully to team efforts. This also shows that you have trust upon the team member’s ability to accomplish the task effectively.
9. Keep asking questions whenever you want
Asking questions quite often in workplaces shows that you do not have all the answers, and there are things you do not know. It also shows your modesty to engage with the team and seek their support wholeheartedly.
Discussing new ideas at the workplace shows your meek and down-to-earth nature.
10. Share whatever you know with others in the team
Humble people also share their opinions and know-how with others openly. He doesn’t feel the need to hide anything from anyone. You do not have the fear of losing an edge if you share stuff with others. IT shows that you are keen to assist others perform their tasks well.
11. Treat others fairly
A part of being humble means to treat everyone equally without holding any prejudice or biases. You focus on fair dealings and treatment in workplaces. Being humble also means to consider everyone equally competent and able in the organization.
It also means you’ll not tolerate biasness and will stand up for the rights of all. There will be no inequality in terms of anything in the organization. You hold the belief that each and every person in the organization is equal and deserves your respect and worth.
12. Join training sessions on life skills at workplaces
Another way to develop your humility is by joining sessions on soft skills development in the workplaces.
When you attend such training sessions and spend time with others in various group activities, you will know that you have so much to learn from others.
Humility needs to be practiced and sharpened from time to time so that you can keep doing good work in the workplace collaboratively.
Examples of being humble
When you approach life humbly, you become a lovable and admirable person wherever you go. We can give you an endless list of things that can make a person humble in other’s eyes.
- Allowing others to speak their mind is a sign of humbleness.
- If you allow others to pay the utility bills before you when you know they have to go to someone else urgently, this is a sign of humility.
- Not showing off even when you have many more luxury items with you is an example of humility.
- When you lose your place just to accommodate your friend, it’s an example of being humble.
- Speaking well about your friends and wishing them more success when they do well in life is also humility.
- When you do not complain about the discomforts you are facing while commuting in a public transport but accept this situation as a part of life, you are actually showing modest living.
- If you do hidden acts of service for someone in need without expecting any appreciation in return, you’re being humble.
- Being patient with those who annoy you is a sign of humility.
- When you do not do things just for the sake of getting recognition is a sign of humility.
- If you think about fulfilling others’ needs before you, then you’re a humble person.
- When you offer a seat to an elderly person in the daily local, you are showing both respect and humility.
- If you apologize and say ‘sorry’ for every small mistake you make, you are actually showing humility.
How to be humble with someone close to you? (15 ways you may consider as worthy)
Sometimes, it can be challenging to stay humble with someone close to you especially in marriage or in an intimate relationship.
By following certain easy tips and tricks, you can become a humble partner as well.
- Be open to learning from your partner.
- Never impose things on them, if you know that they are most likely to disagree.
- Always be an active listener and put patient ears to your partner’s concerns.
- Take a compassionate approach towards your relationship.
- Understand that you also have certain flaws and deficiencies just like your partner.
- Say sorry when you know that you have committed a mistake.
- Apologize even when not asked for.
- Be grateful for all the beautiful things you have got in the relationship.
- Accept subtle discomforts of family life as a way to learn and grow together in a relationship.
- Show interest in your partner’s needs and wants.
- Count your blessings that both of you have received in the relationship.
- Remain open to share your weaknesses with your partner and allow them to help you overcome those weaknesses.
- Accepting differences between you and your partner will help to incorporate more humbleness in the relationship.
- Be real, be authentic and avoid hiding in the relationship.
- Avoid bragging and showing off in front of your partner. Remember that you and your partner are on the same page. Both are equal and no less than the other.
Summing Up from ‘ThePleasantMind’
Being humble was always an important and highly acclaimed personality trait. Humility teaches you to become ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘I’.
In today’s world, a lot of emphasis is laid on individuality but fails to understand that this behavior can lead to selfish attitude and break the rubric of a good community living.
It is good to be kind, grateful, and humble as always so that others can remember you as a courteous, gentle, and polite being.
Article Sources
1. https://www.wikihow.com/Be-Humble
2. https://www.lifehack.org/890016/how-to-be-humble
3. https://positivepsychology.com/how-to-be-humble/
