Lets begin by removing a few misconceptions.

Humility is not an excuse for being shy, laid back, a pushover or an excuse for false modesty.

In the dictionary one of the words closely linked to humility is meekness, and again meekness is often mis-interpreted as weakness.

The word humble originates from the latin humilis which means low or humus which means ground.

It is easy to understand how, the word low has spawned the general mis-representation of humility as low in station, submissive, deferential and unpretentious.

A truly humble person is all of these things but, (and this is important) in the right context. The wrong context being, a humble person is not supposed to be a person who is a carpet for other ‘less humble people’ to walk on.

I mentioned the word Humus which means ground. A truly humble person is a grounded person.

They work in partnership with spiritual principle and natural laws. Think about the ground or the soil for a minute. It has been here forever, it knows stuff that we dont, and its greatest work goes on in silence.

A well grounded person chooses to work in partnership with such a force by being aware of their station, they are submissive to its principles, they defer to its ways, and they are not pretentious about their own abilities to try and make anything happen outside of the partnership.

When I titled this post cultivate humility, I didn’t’ fully appreciate the connection between the word humility and the ground/soil. Cultivation is an essential part of producing something from the soil.

In closing, humility is an approach to life that says “I don’t have all the answers and I welcome your contribution.”

Humility is acceptance of one’s limitations — I cannot do it alone — balanced with a sense of resolve to do something. The farmer still has to plant the seeds.

To underscore your commitment to cultivate humility, you are offered a cast iron guarantee in ‘The Beatitudes’…….. The meek will inherit the earth.

Nigel Ipinson-Fleming

Emerge Me Personal Development

To Achieve Your Dreams, Remember Your ABCs

A -void negative sources, people, things and habits.

B -elieve in yourself.

C -onsider things from every angle.

D -on’t give up and don’t give in.

E -njoy life today: yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.

F -amily and Friends are hidden treasures. Seek them and enjoy their riches.

G -ive more than you planned to give.

H -ang on to your dreams.

I -gnore those who try to discourage you.

J -ust do it!

K -eep on trying, no matter how hard it seems. It will get better.

L -ove yourself first and foremost.

M -ake it happen.

N -ever lie, cheat, or steal. Always strike a fair deal.

O -pen your eyes and see things as they really are.

P -ractice makes perfect.

Q -uitters never win and winners never quit.

R -ead, study and learn about everything important in your life.

S -top procrastinating.

T -ake control of your own destiny.

U -nderstand yourself in order to better understand others.

V -isualize it.

W -ant it more than anything.

X -ccelerate your efforts.

Y -ou are unique of all of Nature’s creations. Nothing can replace you.

Z -ero in on your target, and go for it!!

Have you ever been introduced to What, How and Why?

What

The what is the most exciting part of the equation, it is the ‘new years resolution’ part of any goal and states what you would like to achieve.

How

The how is the mechanics of how you intend to achieve it for example; ‘I am going to exercise 3 times per week’. It is also the equivalent to the map.

When traveling to a destination, the satellite navigation gives you the opportunity to enter the destination details, and you are provided with an estimated  time of arrival, provided you travel at a constant speed.

Why

The why is the biggie. Its the reason why you want to achieve your goal.

The reason why vision is so important, is because every achievement is subject to hitting a brick wall, and every leader suffers from ‘The dark night of the soul’. This is the period of time when the methods of the how are questioned, and you wonder whether the what is really worth it.

It is worthwhile remembering that even though you enter the details of the journey into the sat nav, the map is not the territory. Any road trip, has the potential to suffer delays, accidents and breakdowns.

The best way to measure the viability of your goal is to see whether it is vision motivated.

A bible passage states “where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18. The simple explanation for this statement is that if there is no vision, when the dark nights of the soul come, there is often little reason to persist in the face of adversity.

It is worthwhile remembering that it is very possible to get so engrossed in the why that there is no action, embroiled in the how that there is inertia, and debate the what, to the extent that it is all ends up as theory.

I recommend the following:

Get a strong why, it will give clarity to the what, and in the face of difficulty,  the how will always appear.

Nigel Ipinson-Fleming
Emerge Personal Development

“Find what you love doing well, and do it with all your might!” said Leonard Bernstein about the key to success.

The world now more than ever, needs people who are prepared to live lives on their own terms and express the gifts that are unique to them.

Can one person make a difference?

Of course you can!

There will never be another, better, or more unique person than you.