Hello and welcome,
And today's word for living our best life is humility.
Do you ever feel the need to prove yourself to others?
Do you find it difficult to admit when you're wrong?
True humility isn't about thinking less of yourself,
It's about thinking of yourself less.
I've started with a quote this time.
Humility is really a quiet confidence,
And interestingly,
When we think often of confident people,
We think of people who are extrovert and loud,
Who walk into a room super powerfully.
But in fact,
Very often,
People with very deep confidence are quietly spoken and bring a lot of humility with them to the table.
And humility really is the ability to acknowledge strengths without arrogance and weaknesses without shame,
And it allows us to learn and grow and build stronger relationships in the process.
And they're unafraid to admit when they don't have all the answers,
And they're constantly willing to learn more.
So without humility,
Ego really can take over very quickly.
With humility,
We remain lifelong learners,
Adaptable and open to the wisdom of others.
That's really,
Really wonderful.
Ask yourself today then please,
Are you open to feedback and new perspectives?
Are you really open to that?
Do you practice humility in your interactions with others?
Are you really hungry to learn something new,
To see a new perspective,
To give other people the respect and time that you'd like them to give to you?
Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with political rivals because he valued their perspectives.
His ability to listen,
Admit mistakes,
And prioritize the greater good over personal pride made him one of history's most respected leaders.
And Mother Teresa,
As we know,
She devoted her life to serving the poor,
Not for recognition,
Which would have been the ego,
But out of pure compassion.
Even after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize,
She continued her simple life of service,
Proving that true greatness comes from humility.
Now,
Studies have shown that humble people and that humility piece have better relationships,
Stronger leadership skills,
And higher emotional intelligence.
And before you start thinking that humility means that we can't shine,
I beg to differ with that.
I have met many people who really exude humility,
Who shine like incredibly bright stars,
And it's the humility that makes them the shining star in a world of many people who are not demonstrating humility.
Humility enhances our learning because it makes people more open to feedback and improvement,
And we have much more open conversations with people because they'll feel trust around us,
They won't feel judged.
And Albert Einstein,
In fact,
Despite his genius,
He often credited others for their contributions,
Saying,
I stand on the shoulders of giants.
So today,
The three points I'm going to mention and invite you to practice today.
Number one is practice deep listening.
That goes beyond active listening,
Goes a little bit deeper than that,
Because here we're really listening to understand deeply into the mindset of the person speaking and not to reply.
We're not looking to say anything in return.
We want to recognize that everyone has something to teach you.
Number two,
Admit when you're wrong.
Own your mistakes without defensiveness.
Growth starts with awareness after all.
And if we can admit to our mistakes without defensiveness,
We will have much more honest conversations with people and learn a lot quicker about our blind spots.
Number three,
Celebrate other successes.
This is such a wonderful one.
Celebrate your own as well,
Of course,
But also celebrate other successes.
Be genuinely happy for others without feeling threatened or comparing yourself.
Build people up,
Even the person who may be so talented that they could surpass you in your company.
We don't want to hold those people back,
Do we?
So let's end today on a quotation by Thomas Merton.
Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.
