Humility has long been considered a desirable personality trait. We accept the praise that humility precedes greatness; in the absence of one, the other cannot survive. Modesty is a trait that identifies humility, but a really low self-esteem is often mistaken for modesty. They exist at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Humility is the awareness of one’s shortcomings and often appears as unpretentious; to be sincere and natural. The humble person still holds his uniqueness in high regard, but has no need to take a stand or show self-importance. Within a low self-esteem is insecurity, doubt, uncertainty and lack of self-esteem. Making disparaging comments about yourself reveals a low opinion of your worth and is not humility.
Recognizing the difference between these two traits is essential to understanding who you are, whom, and what you are likely to attract as friends and associates in your life. Striving to be humble indicates that while you value yourself and your own ideas and beliefs, you also recognize where you have room to grow and are good at it. You ‘feel good in your own skin’ even if there is personal growth you hope to achieve. Humility encourages us to seek personal happiness without compromising the success of others.
Low self-esteem is an affliction that stems from a mistaken belief in personal worth. The causes of this are many; the results are devastating. When we accept the belief that our personal worth is less than that of others, we imagine that everything in us is equally flawed and worthless. We become a bully to ourselves, always taking the low road instead of the high road when we see the world around us. We are uncomfortable with others and are unwelcome in most settings. The more we embrace these distorted ideas, the more deeply we fall into self-criticism, or ‘hiding your light under a bushel’.
There’s more … in the grip of these unacceptable beliefs, we begin to express our imaginary flaws to anyone who is willing to listen. We even express the negative events that we anticipate in our future. Something truly dangerous begins to happen at this point. Our subconscious mind never rests. Like a sponge, it picks up every word we say and begins to act, turning our words, which it perceives as true, into reality. There is no joke on this giant within us; Unknowingly, we have ordained a powerful teacher to produce these inappropriate and undesirable results in our reality.
Humility probably precedes greatness; It contains all the necessary ingredients to achieve it. Low self-esteem precedes disaster and requires intervention the moment we recognize it. It is inappropriate for the masterpiece we were all created to become.