Humbleness; one of those lessons in life that most people have to pass through. I ponder on this thought many times and I wonder if I possess this character or am I just a hypocrite. I guess it’s possible to lose your way and get caught up in your ego. But it’s never too late to learn this lesson and know that choosing Humbleness over Ego is a much better place to be in. 

Parents’ role is to teach love, kindness and in the mix humbleness. It can be taught simply by living as an example. It is all good and dandy to keep telling the children: “Do this and Don’t do that.” But the best way to teach is to do. If children watch their parents acting in a humble way, they will copy. But if you tell them and don’t do it yourself, they will never listen. And why should they?

Life teaches us many lessons as we grow and experience things. Life can lift us up to the highest heavens and in one instant brings us down to the lowest ground, sometimes below the ground. Those experiences truly teach you the importance of being grateful to what you have. And accept it is a blessing to be where you are. That teaches you to be humble whether you have it all or have so little. Because you learn with life, that just as you earned your life, it can be taken away from you.

I learned from an early age to be humble and thankful for everything I got. Thanks to my mother who instilled that in me. She showed by example how to be content no matter what our situation was. And if we were not able to do or have the things that we wished for, I learned that life was going to go on anyway and that one day we may have what we want. And even if we never did, it’s okay too. Because in the end, we do not need the material things to be happy. Happiness comes from within; from being grateful for our blessings. Because someone out there always got it worse than we do. My mother always advised me to look down instead of looking up because my neck might break if I keep doing that.

Well, I took those lessons from my early years and modified it a little according to my own beliefs and standards. As much as I agree with my mom’s point of view, I thought it is neither good to look down nor up. It is better to look ahead, straight on. If you look down, you are never gonna believe that you can do better, you will remain down because you think that’s all you can get. And if you look up, you will miss all the opportunities you have staring you right in the face because you are too busy aspiring for better and higher place. The balance is always the best option. Looking ahead will let you experience every moment while you work hard on improving and getting better. Until eventually you reach your goal. Let’s not forget that the joy is in the journey, not the final destination.

And so here is my Humbleness lesson. If I stray, I must remind myself where I came from. I must remember that I am blessed even with the hard times. I must never forget that someone out there has it worse than me. If I keep reminding myself of these things. I will keep myself humble. And I will lead by example and hopefully others will follow.