Why I’m anti-humble

I think one of the most harmful mentalities towards achieving much in life, or becoming an entrepreneur is the notion of being “humble”.

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Why is humbleness seen as a virtue?

The notion that being humble is good comes from Christian morality.

He who humbled himself shall be exalted.

Now this is the strange thing:

We humble ourselves IN ORDER to exalt ourselves.

Which means, what we truly desire is to exalt ourselves, not to be humble for the sake of being humble. In other words, humbleness is not a virtue into itself. Humbleness is a MEANS in order of finding favor with god, in order for us to become exalted, and to become more powerful.

In short, what we really desire is to exalt ourselves and become more powerful, NOT to be humble for the sake of it.

Why is being humble bad?

Generally speaking, when we say we want to be “humble”, what we really mean to say is:

Don’t brag, show off, or make weaker or less fortunate people feel bad about themselves.

But does that mean we should abnegate ourselves, should we make ourselves smaller in order for others to feel better about themselves?

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Why don’t we like it when people brag?

Frankly speaking I don’t like when people show off or brag about how smart they are, their possessions, or whatever. The reason I don’t like it is because I’m just not interested in them or I don’t have a friendship or relationship with them. When a close friends succeeds, I feel overjoyed for them! I celebrate in their victory with them, because it feels like a shared success.

So perhaps we don’t like people who brag when we’re not friends with them?

Also, if a friend succeeds, and we feel envy– perhaps you aren’t a real friend with them? I believe with true friends, we treat their successes WITHOUT a tinge of envy– because we share our successes together.

But I don’t think that bragging is the antonym (opposite) of being humble.

What does ‘humble’ really mean?

Humble literally means ‘low to the ground’. It comes from the Latin word, ‘humilis‘, which means "low, lowly, small, slight, shallow."

What then is the OPPOSITE of humble? High! Magnanimous, great, big!

The word ‘humble’ is related to the notion of ‘humility’. But to make yourself smaller, to put yourself lower to the ground — is this something truly desirable?

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A non-humble life

I encourage all of us to live magnanimous lives — lives full of greatness, altitude, and grandeur.

This means avoid the low, shallow, and empty.

You don’t need to brag; it is unnecessary. People who brag have low self-esteem, because they desire approval from others via their bragging. The truly strong and magnanimous person doesn’t require any bragging. They know within themselves of their own grandeur.

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Don’t talk down on yourself.

Cindy talked about this in the past, how we tend to downplay our accomplishments, in her essay, “My labor is not free.”

When you tend to “humble” yourself, what you are really doing is downplaying your hard work, hustle, and determination. And this isn’t good, because it gives other people the wrong impression that you can do great work without effort.

All great works require great effort. Don’t humble yourself and your effort and accomplishments.

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Conclusion

Some takeaway points:

1. Never humble yourself, especially when you do it to make others feel better about themselves. In fact, don’t compare yourself with others. This means don’t either elevate or negate yourself in respect to others; judge yourself according to your own standards, independently of the accomplishments of others.
2. The opposite of humble is great/magnanimous (not bragging). Don’t be humble, and no need to brag either. If you brag, you’re insecure about your own self-worth.
3. Never downplay your efforts, hard work, and hustle. When people congratulate you on your work, don’t filter yourself — tell them how hard you worked, and explain why you did what you did (because you really care).

Anti-humility.

ERIC