Humility

BY BART SMITH, AUTHOR OF B.S. THE BOOK

"Pride goes before destruction." 
– Holy Bible, Proverbs 16:18

It’s okay to acknowledge your positives, strengths and talents. It’s also good to be confident in your abilities.

Self-confidence is not necessarily a bad thing. Self-confidence becomes harmful though when it rises to the level of pride.

Pride is an excessively high opinion of oneself, and is often accompanied by a haughty (i.e., "I’m better than you") attitude.

Why does pride go before destruction? A proud person "thinks" he knows it all, can do it all, is self-sufficient and doesn’t think he needs the help or support of others.

A proud person often rejects help and support when in actuality, and unbeknownst to him, he rejects the very help and support he needs to succeed. Therefore, failure follows …

Avoid this position. Take a good look at yourself. Listen to the words you use when speaking to other people. Watch your body language (i.e., finger pointing, posture, walking in a strut, facial expressions, raised eyebrows, nose in the air … you got the picture).

Guard yourself against this kind of behavior. Appreciate your abilities. But, view them as having been given to you to benefit others.

"Humility leads to strength and not to weakness. 
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes 
and to make amends for them." – John (Jay) Mccloy