I recently read an internet post stating that being humble isn’t soft or meek. To be humble is a choice. It always calls for taking a steeper path, one that initially involves deferring gratification for the sake of others. Deferring gratification takes willpower, and seeking to understand more requires courage. It’s patience rather than impulse.

In the end, humility is a pathway to toughness and resilience. Here are some ways humility is expressed:

1. It’s not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
2. Being of service to others.
3. Admitting when we’re wrong—promptly.
4. Not caring about who gets the credit.
5. Doing the next right thing.
6. Living without extremes—practicing moderation.
7. Humility is for a good person striving to get better.
8. A form of spiritual fitness.
9. A perpetual quietness of the heart.
10. Asking, not telling.
11. A conscious effort to avoid self-centered thoughts.
12. Not needing to one-up people.
13. Rooting for everyone.
14. Honesty.

I can look back over the week and remember times when I acted contrary to these ideas. In each case, I was taking the easy way out, which sometimes led to undesired consequences.

Strive to choose humility. It brings satisfaction rather than regret.

-Howe Q Wallace Jr