HUMILITY

"And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb." - Kahlil Gibran

A person with humility has a confident yet modest sense of his or her own merits, but also an understanding of his or her limitations. The moment you think you have seen everything or know it all ( " been there, done that.."), the universe senses arrogance and gives you a great big dose of humility. You must give up on the idea that you can ever become so enlightened that you have nothing left to learn; Zen masters know that even for them learning never ends.

Humility is the lesson that stings, for along with it usually comes some kind of loss or downfall. The universe likes to keep things in balance,so when an inflated ego ignores civility and patience, it introduces humility as a way to bring the ego back down to Earth. Though the sting feels like a wound at the time, it really is just a poke from the higher power to keep you balanced.

Some people experience so much success in life that they take it for granted, expecting things to go their way automatically. When this results in an inflated ego that ignores patience and civility, arrogance is bred, and humility becomes a curriculum requirement. That is what happened to Will.

Extremely handsome, tan, and athletic, with penetrating eyes, Will looked and dressed like a fashion model. Things came easily to him, and he mastered everything he tried. With his charm, intelligence, and talents, his business was lively and success was a way of life.

So when Will was served a lawsuit one day, he assumed that the case would work out as easily as everything else in his life and he didn't worry about it. But it didn't, and the suit eventually led to the breakup of his company. He tried for months afterward to get a job,but no one would hire him. His finances became strained, payments fell behind, and finally bankcruptcy was his only option. Will couldn't understand why his "magic" was no longer intact, and after seven years of assorted jobs that yielded no magic, he finally faced up to the lesson of humility.

When he came to see me, Will couldn't understand how so much misfortune could come to a "perfect person" like him. He had to learn that his talents were wonderful but were negated alongside an attitude of arrogance. He looked condescendingly upon people who didn't have his gifts - speaking to them in a patronizing manner, treating them with impatience and annoyance, judging them as worthless or stupid - so his curriculum led him to the lesson of humility. Over time, Will came to understand why life had given him so many intense lessons in humility. The lessons were difficult for him at first but with understanding, Will made sense of his situation and committed to learning his lessons, and he turned his circumstances around.

Have pride in who you are and what you have accomplished. However, if you find yourself harboring secret thought of arrogance or conceit, remind yourself of the lesson of humility before the universe does it for you. It will sting much less that way.