Practice Humility for Success in Life!

Practicing Humility : What Does Humility Mean?

Most dictionaries define humility as the absence of pride, freedom from arrogance, being down to earth, or not exaggerating one’s own sense of self-worth. Psychologists describe humility as a trait where a person has an accurate perception of oneself characterized by modesty. A humble attitude involves not taking our successes, failures or desires too seriously. It is about accepting and making the effort to overcome one’s shortcomings gracefully. Whether humility is related to one’s beliefs, values, opinions, or judgments about ourselves or others, it is a character strength rooted in an understanding of our place in the larger scheme of things in the universe. It is not about thinking of yourself as less or inadequate but thinking less or infrequently about yourself. We are not as important as we make ourselves out to be. That's the way to practice humility.

From a spiritual perspective, Swamiji has described humbleness as the internal awareness of our own insufficiency and inadequacy in doing anything when compared to the vast and magnificent elements of creation. It means to give up the arrogance of having understood the divine scriptural knowledge or the ability to apply the knowledge, which must be approached with deep faith and purpose. Each of us as individuals is but an insignificant particle of dust. 

Humility is the first step toward developing a loving relationship with God. God is not impressed by the display of theoretical knowledge nor material accomplishments; His heart melts for a humble soul. On the spiritual path, humility comes from accepting that our efforts are clearly not enough to be graced with divine vision nor knowledge, or else we would have already been God-realized souls. Developing such feelings of insufficiency and inadequacy will assist in controlling the pride of doership and accomplishments.  

Our ego distorts reality where the pride of doership pushes God out of the mind and heart. By making God and Guru the center of our universe, we will become more capable of changing the objective reality into subjective reality. When the focus of our actions and the related outcome is for our personal benefit, then humility vanishes, and the ego takes charge. However, when the intellect focuses on the happiness of God and Guru, then gratitude, humility, and selfless love tend to dominate, and the ego will gradually vanish with time and repeated and focused effort. 

Why is Practicing Humility so Important in Life?

Humility is the foundation for a successful life whether it relates to our work, family, or spiritual aspirations. In our professional life, humility can help to build relationships of mutual respect and trust. Our personal and spiritual lives can be enhanced by learning how to practice humility by cultivating devotional sentiments which attract the grace of God and Guru. In contrast, arrogance and pride are repulsive and gradually result in spiritual downfall. 

Role of Humility in the Workplace. In an increasingly self-serving and narcissistic global culture characterized by the attitude of entitlement and reinforced arrogance, humility may seem to be a psychological weakness. Corporations like Enron, Wells Fargo, Equifax, Waste Management, etc., were definitely not led by humble leaders at the time of their downfall. Humble leaders are more likely to take the company and its employees toward success through open and transparent self-assessment and tolerance for mistakes in the interest of creativity. Humility in the workplace is about growing along with others, leading with confidence but acknowledging others’ skills, and embracing humanity as opposed to self-aggrandizement. Humility is not about becoming a doormat, nor a reflection of low self-esteem. It is associated with a growth mindset which promotes trust, active engagement, creativity, and enhanced productivity. Humble people are more liked by others, their modest and unpretentious style attracts followers, and their comfort with their own imperfections instills confidence in others. Perfect examples of humble yet effective people include Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.

Role of Humility in Our Personal Life. Self-improvement takes time, dedication, and perseverance. When our goal and the purpose of life become clear to us, our persistence and patience will pay off. Internal growth diminishes arrogance and replaces it with humility. It makes one realize the limitation of one’s accomplishments when compared to God’s creation of infinite universes. We all know the story of the drowning of the Titanic. Its engineers were very proud of their accomplishment and thought that they had built a ship that was invincible. Their excessive pride led to the downfall of both, the ship and their massive egos. The greater the pride, the harder we fall. Thus, even in our daily life, humility is needed to make internal progress and become equipped to deal with external challenges. 

We have heard Swamiji narrate the exemplary story of how Vibhishan approached Lord Ram with the intention of surrendering to Him. As soon as he saw Lord Ram and Lakshman, Vibhishan’s heart swelled with love, his body started trembling, the hair-ends on his body rose, tears rolled down his eyes, his voice choked, and he fell into a trance (i.e., state of samadhi). After some time, he brought himself out of that state and introduced himself with full humility as the fallen brother of the sinful Ravan, as one born in a dynasty of rakshas (i.e., demon), and as a person with a tamasic body who had led a sinful existence all his life. He further stated that he had come to the Lord to seek His shelter because he had heard that the Lord was sharnagat-vatsal, or one who lovingly gave shelter to the downtrodden. He also stated that it was up to the Lord to grant him shelter or not, as per His pleasure. God, with His causeless mercy, graces whoever seeks His shelter and surrenders to Him from the heart with humility.

This story teaches us that all materially conditioned souls like us, who have led a sinful existence, can receive the causeless grace of God if we surrender to Him with humility.

Role of Humility for Spiritual Progress. In explaining the importance of humility for spiritual progress, Jagadguru Shree Kripalu ji Maharaj said that we put in a lot of effort to be perceived by others as good people instead of focusing on becoming internally good. We take great offense when criticized by others even though there is not much for which to feel proud. A shloka by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu beautifully captures the sentiment that Maharajji has taught devotees:

तृणादपि सुनीचेन, तरोरपि सहिष्णुना ।
अमानिना मानदेन, कीर्तनीय सदा हरिः ॥

Trinaadapi sunichena, Tarorapi sahishnuna
Amaanina maanadena, Kirtaniya sada Harih

Be Humbler than a blade of grass, and more tolerant and forgiving than a tree. Give respect to others, but do not desire respect in return. While living like this, always chant and remember Shree Krishna.

Everything we have (e.g., knowledge, skills, physical attributes, wealth, spiritual assets, etc.) are gifts of God given to us purely due to His causeless grace. If we are constantly aware of this knowledge, it will become easier to let go of the pride and fill our hearts with gratitude and humility which purifies the heart. 

Swamiji has provided numerous examples of how saints display humility. On one occasion, when Shree Maharajji was introduced to the atheist who did not attach any value to saints, Maharajji folded his hands (i.e., did pranam), instead of expecting to be treated with dignity and respect by the man. His humility touched the heart of the atheist who was then inspired to follow the path of devotion. Similarly, when Sanatan Goswami, went to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu after renouncing his worldly life, he put a blade of grass in his mouth and did sashtang pranam from a distance, symbolizing “I am as insignificant as a blade of grass.” Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased with his humility and reverence and subsequently made him His disciple.

How can we Practice Humility?

Pride is the biggest obstacle on the path of spirituality. Practicing humility will help to gradually eliminate pride.

1. Self-Monitor Complaining and Fault-Finding: Complaining and fault-finding are the opposite of acceptance and humbleness. When these traits increase, we must increase appreciation of others whom we criticize or correct. Express gratitude for their skills and contributions because everyone has something of value to offer.
2. Model Humbleness to Create a Culture of Humility: Effective leaders are self-effacing, resilient, and optimistic. By modeling these characteristics for others, they create a culture of mutual trust, commitment, and transcendency. 
3. Acknowledge the Limitations of Our Intellect: The global impact of COVID-19 has made humankind aware of the serious limitations of our intellect with respect to its prevention and cure. Swamiji has described three main take-aways from the pandemic: (a) our collective knowledge is limited and we need to learn to be humble; (b) material things are impermanent and perishable but internal resources like love for God is infinite; and (c) we need to learn to respect the laws of nature whether in terms of the food consumption or the use of natural resources.
4. Develop Feelings of Gratitude: The importance of developing an attitude of gratitude cannot be underestimated. We will be humble by feeling grateful for all the causeless divine gifts we have received, for example, a human form, a divine Guru, hunger for spiritual knowledge, sensory organs, intellect, etc. Similarly, we need to remind ourselves of the temporary nature of typical sources of pride like physical beauty, youth, wealth, knowledge, and unique skills, which can deteriorate with increasing age or be snapped at a moment’s notice. 
5. Detach from Outcomes of Actions: The pride of doership arises from the mind’s attachment to the results of our actions. By reminding ourselves of God’s divine energy that gives us the power to do purusharth (or effort toward goals), we will work to get rid of the pride of doership and experience humility. 
6. Meditate on Becoming Humble: We have all experienced the power of Roop Dhyan meditation (i.e., dynamic visualization) as a tool for internal transformation. Swamiji’s guided meditation to develop feelings of humbleness is very helpful for this purpose.
7. Accept Criticism with Grace: Our ego is what increases our pride and blocks humility. By accepting criticism from others, tolerating irritations, understanding the source of anger, respecting others but not expecting respect for oneself, and by perceiving the form of God in others, we will slowly learn to become humble.
8. Seek God’s Grace: When, in spite of all concerted efforts, we are still unable to become humble, the best we can do is to seek the grace of God. We must internally realize our helpless state and feel incapable of transforming without His divine grace. When we acknowledge that we have no hope other than to rely on God and Guru’s divine grace, they may be moved to pity and come to our aid. 

The biggest advantage of practicing humility is that when a soul feels the hunger to connect with God and reaches the level of humility needed for intellectual surrender, then God connects the soul to a divine Guru.