Mid Week Drive: 10 Awesome Benefits of Humility!

It's another awesome edition of Midweek Drive and I humbly say, good morning beautiful people, Happy New Month! Yea, it's election month and I hope you all have your PVC. Remember, your vote is your right! Vote not fight! Don't be cajoled into voting for someone you do not deem fit.

Last week while strolling down my street, I got attracted by an incident that could easily have devolved into an ugly scene if not for complete show of discretion and humility display by the concerned parties.

A driver completely in charge of a speeding vehicle - probably in a hurry- on a bumpy untarred road full of potholes discourteously splashed puddle on a young man's grey trouser. Realising his offence, the driver parked the car; out stepped a well-groomed handsome old man who immediately propitiated the young man. It was the young man's utterance that really drew people's attention, not the old man's compunction. Visibly angry, the young man said in broken English, "Thank your creator o, I think say u go speed off leave me like this for here. If to say u no wait ni, I for unleash my boys (sic) on u. U can go sha, I've forgiven u". While saying this, his so-called 'boys' - all touts - flocked round him and it was then it dawned on us - witnesses and passersby - that the well dressed young man in question is one of the leaders of NURTW popularly known as 'agbero' in that vicinity.

Of course, we all know what the backwash might have been had the offender not acted reasonably and modestly. A lot of us have been in simlar situation and acted otherwise; speed off without  making attempt to apologize to the victim. This is a very bad attitude and term you as someone inhumane and full of pride.

Humility as defined by wikipedia is variously seen as the act or posture of lowering oneself in relation to others, or conversely, having a clear perspective and respect for one's place in context. It is also the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance.

Humility is a virtue relatively scarce amongst Nigerians. Everyone seem to have significant degree of superbia irrespective of the social class they belong. In fact, it is widely perceived that the rich at times parade arrogance, hauteur and a little dose of chagrin when dealing with people slightly inferior to them. This shouldn't be the case. We should try display humility when dealing with people not looking at their social class. 

Competition

Humility cuts across all facet of life and it goes a long way in defining your personality. True humility is not an abject, grovelling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us. "It's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way." says an old song. Of course, few people actually think they're perfect in every way. But it can still be pretty hard to be humble, especially if you live in a society that encourages competition and individuality. Yet even in such a culture, humility remains an important virtue. Learning to be humble is of paramount importance in most spiritual traditions, and humility can help you develop more fully and enjoy richer relationships with others, as well as create opportunities and earn you respect. 

Benefits of Humility

Humility may sound like a weak attribute but it holds a powerful inner strength. A humble man stands to gain a lot of positivity and mystique. Some of which are stated below.

1. Respect: Humility earns you respect from people you deal with. People look up to a humble man and holds such person in high esteem. Humility commands respect from people of all works of life not minding your social class. However, to earn people's respect, you've to respect people too. This is not a problem for people that exhibit humility. Thus, explains why humble people are well respected anywhere they show up.

2. Attention: Humility might appear as a very meek and gentle virtue but it brings one to the forefront and vangaurd of the society. People wants to relate and associate with a humble person. Everyone keep quiet and listen when an humble man speak. An humble man's saying is deemed  right and his words are held with utmost importance.

3. Security: Humble people are never prone to dangers of the society. They're easy-going, diligent and honest in their dealings. They're quick to point out their mistakes and make necessary restitutions and amendments to avoid trouble just like the old man in the story narrated earlier did.

4. Trust: People that portray iota of humility are better trusted with handling trivial and crucial issues. They're known to be the best confidants and people willingly bank on them. Humble people are filled with credibility and credulity and are better relied on in the world of business. They're perceived to be men of integrity and probity compared to people with calories of egotism.

5. Excellence in Leadership: Humble leaders are not only better liked, as you might imagine, but they are also more effective. People prefer to be led by a humble man than a man filled with pride. Humble leaders of all ranks view admitting mistakes, spotlighting follower strengths and modeling teachability as being at the core of humble leadership. And they view these three behaviors as being powerful predictors of their own as well as the organization’s growth.

6. Higher Self-control: Having high self-control is one key to a successful life. Oddly, perhaps, studies have found that an obsession with the self can paradoxically lead to lower self-control. The humble, though, because they place less importance on the self, exhibit higher self- control in many situations. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that humble people tend to know their limits. 

7. Better work performance: The humble not only make better managers, but they also make better employees. Organizations recriuting new staffs subject the candidates to various test. Humility, honesty and integrity stands tall on the list of attributes required as candidates who fail this personality test are never employed. Humble people are very industrious and complain less about strenous tasks. They take on challenges head on and contribute immensely to the growth of the organization they work.

8. Higher Grades: Odd but true, students that are more humble perform better academically than students who parade a sense of pride. I know some people might find this hard to believe. Take a look at your class, you'll discover that larger percentage of the brilliant ones are either humble or from a humble backgrand. Being humble, therefore, may make you better in school.

9. More Helpful: Humble people are, on average, more helpful than people who are conceited or egotistical. Humble people have also been found to be more generous. They'll willingly give you all they have without demanding anything in return. They're always ready to sacrifice their time, energy and resources to help out the less or more privileged. 

10. Better relationships Humble people may have better relationships because they accept other people for who they are. Humility help to repair relationships and build stronger bonds between people. And humble people are always better off at this.

Humility is a very vital attribute when it comes to personal grooming and personality-development. Act of humility can be in any form. Letting someone ahead of you in line when you see they are in a hurry is an act of humility. Assisting someone younger than you with heavy luggages is a display of humility. Cleaning the bathroom of your office, even though you own the company, is an example of humility. Helping your neighbour dispose her wastes when she's not around is also one. Do cultivate a humble spirit and you'll remain exalted among your peers this year.

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Enjoy the rest of the week, stay blessed!