On a Wednesday night, I should sitting here watching SportsCenter or House of Payne on TBS, but I am sitting here at the computer reflecting on my night. It was another day at the factory for me, but it seemed just a tad different than most. In addition to normal work, I actually spent part of the day doing my semi annual performance review. These are often times very humbling discussions regardless of how good you feel that you things at your job. Based on that experience I started thinking about the concept of humility and keeping my mind focused.
Lately, it seems that everything that I do is related in some form or fashion. Yesterday, I found myself discussing appreciation and I left some thoughts unfinished or I would still be writing today. I was reading the sports section of the USA Today and it was referencing two athletes in an editorial who choose to sit out after they were drafted by professional baseball and professional football teams. Its amazing that these individuals felt that what they were being offered financially was not sufficient based on what they and their agents felt they were worth. Where is the appreciation of fact that you are in select few that have the skills/abilities to play something you love on the highest level there is. If these individuals don't change their mindset, there are some very humbling experiences coming down the pike.
I must say that it is a refreshing feeling when you see an athlete that embraces that he is just a person who happens to get paid to do something he loves. I say this as I pay a compliment to a very humble professional athlete that I have had the opportunity to meet twice. I bumped into Calais Campbell, a 2ND year Defensive Lineman with the Arizona Cardinals, for the 2ND time in the last year and in my opinion he is a class act. We spoke and during the conversation he remembered the first time we met and it said a lot to me about the kind of person he is. Our conversation was brief and just a regular conversation between two people. In both of my conversations with him, this individual appeared to be very humble and it told the me the story of who he was.
We all have the choice to be humble or be humbled by our experiences. Often times we choose the latter and are forced to learn humility. Think about the situations in your life that have that have served as your humbling experiences. Regardless of where you are in life you will always have the choice of being humble or being humbled, so choose wisely.
“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”
-John Wooden
“A person can achieve everything by being simple and humble.”
-Rig Veda
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
-Jim Rohn
“The more a person analyzes his inner self, the more insignificant he seems to himself. This is the first lesson of wisdom. Let us be humble, and we will become wise. Let us know our weakness, and it will give us power.”
-William Ellery Channing
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble”
-Helen Keller
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