Why humility is a strength and a value
Until recently, my work values have always been defined by members of leadership teams at many wonderful, vibrant companies with great people and cultures.
In my experience, these organizations have similar words attached to their brands, such as integrity, innovation, hard work, collaboration. These are great values to work and live by, to be sure. But now that I’m out on my own as a freelance writer and editor, I have the privilege of defining my own set of values that are guided by my experience, my wins, and my many, many failures.
This is why at the top of my values list is humility. I consider it an incredible strength. Here’s why.
Discovering vulnerability
In 2013, my mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Up until then, I operated on a cocky sense of entitlement as a writer. I thought I knew exactly what I was doing and everyone else was wrong if I wasn’t delivering. After all, I received a Master’s degree in writing!
The point: My mother’s illness taught me (and still teaches me) that my cockiness was actually a sign of vulnerability. For example, when she first showed signs of Alzheimer’s, it was little things, like asking me if I could order for her at restaurants or help calculate a tip. My mom was becoming vulnerable because her brain was slowly unlearning how to make decisions or solve a simple math equation.
Owning past behaviors
Several years later and very advanced in the Alzheimer’s progression, my mother is literally (and legally) a vulnerable adult. She needs help with everything - bathing, eating, sitting, getting out of bed - all activities of daily living that most of us do on auto-pilot.
My mom’s vulnerabilities and how I’ve navigated them as a caregiver eventually taught me that my cocky sense of entitlement as a writer was borne from my own sense of vulnerability. I wasn’t confident at all. I was worried what others were thinking of me. If I made a mistake, I often ignored it and just moved on. I criticized others because I was incapable of understanding their perspectives.
I was living inside my own head and didn’t know how to get out of it.
My behaviors and perceptions often led me to:
Create messes and make mistakes that I didn’t clean up.
Have negative, toxic feelings about others without trying to correct myself.
Put myself before others.
Believe success is a right, not an achievement.
Humility is not a weakness, it’s a strength
While I’m not proud of my mistakes, perhaps the most important realization I’ve discovered is that humility is not a weakness. I believe a person who practices humility is better at:
Owning up to mistakes, which shows emotional intelligence.
Correcting mistakes and taking responsibility.
Accepting not knowing something means there’s an opportunity for learning.
How I practice humility
I am always learning and improving so I can be a better person and freelance writer. From the content I write for clients to the ways in which I interact with competitors, being open to learning prevents me from defaulting to the bogus behaviors of my past self. It keeps me in humility mode.
My humility mode:
Correct negative perceptions.
Say “I don’t know” instead of “fake it ‘til you make it.”
Ask questions and stay curious.
Always consider other perspectives and world views.
Positivity is overrated because it doesn’t make room for understanding the spectrum of human emotions and reactions.
Keep learning.
As a writer, editor and a human being, I will continue to make mistakes that I need to recognize, own and correct (hell, I could be making one right now with this post!). Yes, there will be times when my ego takes over the ability to stay humble. But I’ll never consider myself the most important person in a room (because I’m not) and I’ll always seek new ways of thinking so my value gets stronger over time.
Stay humble and find your words
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about humility and other lonna.co culture values. In the meantime, if you’re in need of any writing or editing services, I am humbly at your service.