Be the best…stay humble.
Friday, February 27th, 2009Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.
John Wooden-Legendary Coach/UCLA Bruins
I am proud of who I am, and I truly believe that I am one of the best in the world at what I do. Deeply in my heart and soul I believe that I am the best at what I do. I believe that I am no better than anyone else….
There is silliness to that statement above, but also a very real truth that I want to convey. I love people, I love all people and I believe that there is good in all people. I will never hold myself above or below anyone on this Earth and I think it important as we start to see more and more success within our lives that we are genuinely humble and yet still charismatic, energetic, and fun to be around. And proud…but humble, fine line.
I spoke with a friend of mine the other day that reminded me that we have to never come off as to elitist, to bold, to brash, to conceited. She told me that she had lunch with a friend and that friend was conveying some ideas to her about our company that I never want people to think. That person she had lunch with said that at a recent event that a lot of our people were there and they are very proud of who we are and what we do, but that it was coming off as “We think we are the best in the world and you should join us right away or you are a dummy”. Not in so many words but sort of that way. She said that some of our people seemed fake. Misconception, jealousy, ignorance-whatever it was, perception is reality and we must be very careful that we stay humble and real out there in the public eye.
Now this is funny coming from me, because sometimes I am totally un-humble and I realize that it is something I must work on every single day. I can be seen as cocky…around the office especially. Hopefully it is seen for what it is-me being a bit of a goofball, me doing what I need to do to motivate and push and me just being me. I am a genuine person who is looking to grow and get better, and I do not believe that I am above anyone else out there, I am just a person that needs love, praise, and to be fulfilled in what I am doing. With that said here are my ideas to stay humble and not come across as arrogant or elitist:
1. Believe strongly in the good of others-Every person that you meet is good. They are human. Just like you and I, they have doubts, fears, pressures, anxieties and they also have beliefs, ideas, thoughts, dreams, and passions that are important to them. All people have goodness within themselves and they are looking for acceptance. Treat them like absolute gold! Want to lead a more fulfilling life? Be the kind of person that people love to be around because of the way you treat them, be a lifter, someone that lifts others up just by being there. John Maxwell says, “Put a 10 on people’s heads.” What he means by that is always believe the best in others, believe they are a 10 even if they are not right now. Maybe you will even believe in them more than they believe in themselves, which is a good thing, it may help them to realize their potential.
2. Learn something from everyone-Please always be teachable and understand that you never know everything. I find that by opening myself up to others and their ideas that I learn so much. People’s ideas are what move this world forward and we all have good ideas. Stay open to people’s point of view and you will grow and learn. Make a lifelong commitment to learning, growing and changing.
3. Listen more than you talk-I cannot wait till I get this one down! We all love to talk, and mostly about ourselves. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. If you can master the art of becoming a good listener, people will love you. You should always practice this skill, in the office, at parties, in your home; really work on being a great-FOCUSED-listener. Do not cut people off; give them the full floor until they are finished. When you dominate conversation people will not want to talk with you, when you become a great listener people will love you. And finally…
4. Look people in the eye-When you look people in the eye they will trust you more. If you cannot look someone in the eye, or if you are shifty and look down a lot, people tend not to trust you. our eyes are the windows to our souls, and if our soul is good and positive and loving, our eyes and eye contact will show that.
I am proud of who I am, and I truly believe that I am one of the best in the world at what I do. Deeply in my heart and soul I believe that I am the best at what I do. I believe that I am no better than anyone else….
I am no better than anyone else, I am just different. I never want to come across as conceited or cocky, I want people to know that I genuinely care and that my life purpose is to build and lift others. I love people, all people and I am going to do better today to not judge but to love others and continue to work on being humble. You too?
Make it an incredible day! cg