Humility the Hard Way
Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes
I learned Humility by Fire. Meaning I grew up not knowing what to do next so I can never really put anyone down when they don’t know. When you come from nothing you have to admit to yourself that a lot of people put you on to game and it was merely luck or the grace of GOD that you made it. Now other cats have to learn humility usually by falling and I mean really falling hard. A pretty woman learns humility by someone playing her for a fool. A arrogant man learns humility by finding out no one wants to be around them. And, sometimes even a cat who should’ve known he ain’t the shit will learn it again when they get older.
I say all this to say to you in the most respectful way that you aren’t shit! I don’t mean you are a piece of shit. I mean that at no time in this world should you consider what you say, how you think and something about you is simply better than anyone else. Sure it’s going to take you some time as a lot of Suckers love to walk around the earth thinking their suit, car, shoes, purse and even underwear are a better grade than everyone else. But, in the end what you have anyone can have they just don’t happen to have it right now. Your education is something any cat who gets in gear can have. Your job is not that damn special because it’s not like you did anything but sit there and move up. Your business has already been done and you are just copying off what you see works. Shit even your personality someone you met already said you reminded them of someone from their past. The cat handing out hamburgers is no different than the jobs you had to go through to get where you are today. In essence there ain’t too much to you that should ever give you the feeling that you are head and shoulders over everyone else.
You’ll find out what makes you unique isn’t all that damn special. It’s really something you happen to do just a little bit better than someone else. My talent is that I persevere longer than most people. I didn’t have great grades but everyone assumed I was smart. I don’t think I am better looking than any other cat but my confidence is internal so it manifests differently. My business succeeded because I was in the right place at the right time. When I look back on damn near all of my success it was 90% because I was fed up with being poor. Now everyone who knows me think I got something special in my head but I don’t know exactly what that is besides piecing the game together faster than most. But, that’s because just like me researching posts to write about I have been doing recon on money since I was about 8 years old. So while it might seem like a gift its about 20 years of constantly searching that makes me seem like I know what to do in all situations.
Think about it really for a second. There is nothing you have that another person couldn’t have. The difference is you chose this road and they didn’t. The difference is you barely passed a test and they didn’t. The difference is you read a book, knew a cat, heard something on the radio, saw something on TV and barely escaped those cops… AND THEY DIDN’T! It’s not that hard to be humble when you think about how all that makes you special is what you did and what they didn’t!
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Yeah, all I can say is I’m learning about humility big time. I was born with this confident arrogance but I realize recently that I need to just stop thinking I’m better than anyone else, do the best I can do and stfu.
Life is about a whole bunch of small decisions and those decisions are what got you to where you are. Anyone could’ve made the same decisions but they didn’t. To me deciding to go left is not something that makes you superior to anyone else. STFU is a great start because even I think you can think it but just don’t say it is the right step to take. After a while of censorship you’ll stop wanting to voice your opinion and you’ll find humility in being reserved.
While I don’t want cats to think being humble is having low self esteem and not speaking up. It’s actually allowing others to go first in every situation and realizing they want to be heard. It’ll pay dividends for you in the future as the humble person is usually confided in.
Humilty is extremely important because so many people allow their egos to put them in bad situations. At the end of the day, life is about choices and catching a few breaks along the way. However, some actually believe their own hype and think that they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. And then look down on others who haven’t reached their level yet. In most cases, their ego leads them down the road to their own destruction and they are forced to eat crow as the escalator heads down past all the people the moved past on the way up. These people usually never receover because they never truly had the tools to begin with…only the luck of being at the right place at the right time.
I think this is why I enjoyed reading “Outliers” so much. Because it showed that certain people aren’t “born with a knack” or “just got it.” It showed that even those seem like overnight successes have been plodding along for years before they reached the pinnacle of success. Making mistakes and improving. Years of hard work mixed with some opportunity and luck culminating in a rise to the top.
As Solomon said, “nothing is new under the sun.” History repeats itself over and over, so there is nothing new in this world. Only different interpretations and applications. No one is that good that they created something out of thin air. Everything is an extension, recreation or carbon copy of what they saw or what came before them. From our style of dress to our cars to our food to the way we cut our hair.
Be quiet, let other cats speak first and build instead of break! That’s my own personal rules when it comes to humility as I’m a arrogant cat myself. You do everything by yourself for a long time you start to think you know the way. So I had to stop myself and come up with a formula to be humble again. At times I just don’t give a fvck but that’s rare and it’s usually after I figure there’s nothing more to build here with this cat.
I think the easiest lesson to learn is to realize life is semi out of your hands. You can only do what’s in front of you at every turn. Who knew when I moved to NY all that transpired would come to pass. I really was there looking for a opportunity to blow up and I found one while working under someone else. We all have potential to do great things but the only thing we provide is effort. A lot of this life depends on somehow being at the right place at the right time. You can’t push the mountain.
Humility is worth it. I think its what life forces you to deal with too. It took me a long time just to realize that I just need to live my life and respect the journey. Take the good and the bad. I was watching this show and this cat kept saying “Follow your bliss”. I was like WTF..until I figured out he’s talking about live your life, going for your personal happiness in every area, and work on fulfilling your life’s purpose.
Some learn the lesson easy and others hard. It all aligns with living your life without making any waves but really going with the waves. Most cats think you only learn humility by being beaten down but you can voluntarily choose to submit to the understanding of life that you need to be the cat that builds instead of the one that destroys. The world appreciates the person who makes everyone around him better by allowing others to shine while quietly being disciplined and staying on mission.
Keep Humility is something that is a challenge, but not to hard. It is hard to crack a dumb smile and play stupid when everyone at your job is steady complaining about their situation and about Money is the root of all evil rants. Then you hit them with a bible verse “Money answereth all things”. they don’t believe me.
Using the Bible has always been a quick way to seem or be humble. If you quote anything from the Bible then instead of you being a smart ass it sounds like GOD said it and we should obey. I try not to use it because people know I’m not religious like that. Humility can be accomplished simply by deflecting attention, building with any conversation and trying to find the root solution in all things. Everyone says something really dumb one time or another but who wants the guy around who keeps correcting them?
In looking up whether or not kozisahn’s bible quote was real (it is) I came across this: http://www.oocities.org/sepantg/money.htm Real talk! People love the idea of being humble yet don’t realize that they get advertised to everyday! Even the most humble cat who’s trying to get something done at some point or another has to send the message out that he’s about business, again, something people confuse with arrogance. Good one Freeman!
Glad you enjoyed it. Money in the Bible and all religious texts are usually omitted or confused with evil intent. It’s done on purpose because the attainment of the means and resources to not need much is a solution from GOD not from Man. So since Man is in charge of the texts then he can put it in plain view and make the average Sucker think he’s seeing a ghost.
Arrogance, Confidence, Aggressiveness will all be seen as not being Humble. Each one has it’s place in time as long as you don’t use them all of the time you’ll be alright.
Sorry the response was leaked so late but when you put a link on it it gets stuck in spam and I have to approve it.
Wow,this was a really great post, Freeman. My favorite actually.
It took me a long time to figure out why some people are poor and some are rich and this was the answer. Everything I have today was the grace of God and parents that invested in me. I’m VERY average I just have great people around to make great things happen.
When I tell my family I really want a certain condo that sell for $3 million they always give me the “Who the eff do you think you are?” look. The answer is NO DAMN BODY. The people I see living in those condos are just like me. Some were born with money and some figured out a way to make enough to purchase what they want. I just have to figure out a way to purchase what I want. I’ll still be the same person, with more space and and amazing view of the city. ; )
Whatever that 3 million condo is I want to see it now. I think this is the 3rd time you brought it up if this is the one in Brooklyn! I hope someone shines your shoes and hands out free umbrellas there too! LMBAO And, you’re right the people in those condos are regular ass people too.
I think television makes people gawk at others prosperity but the cat who got it starts believing the hype too. In everyone’s heart they know they didn’t do anything that extreme to make money. It’s a maturity thing as most people think everyone is where they are primarily because they didn’t try. Well just like you said you are average but you had a support system that helped you to achieve.
I think it’s alright to feel good about having things you truly want as long as those things don’t make you act like ass to those who haven’t figured out how to get it yet. If they even want it at all!
LOL Yes, that’s the condo. It’s called Oro on 306 Gold Street. I didn’t know I told you too. lol
Ass acting is not in my nature.lol
3 Million for those small places. You need to go look in manhattan as you can get something like 2x bigger on the island. Check out Selling New York on HGTV and you’ll see how much space you can get for the money. If we’re going to spend the money might as well live the life all the way!
But, I can’t knock it as all of Brooklyn will be built up on that corridor of Flatbush when the Brooklyn Nets Arena is finally finished. It’s a great place to stay. I used to live not even 1 mile from there in Clinton Hill around Lafayette/Washington. They have a lot of restaurants and a lot of activity coming through there. Even the irritating NY marathon comes down that way. I can see why that exact spot would be great.
People love the power and begin to get used to it, and the power has the ability to corrupt…whether morally, emotionally, socially etc. Then the delusion begins that they made it without any help or have special powers. I worked for this dude that was real wealthy, he had a good support system around him, lawyers, accountants, etc. but word was that he wasnt that bright; his pops left him with the money(empire) he built and surrounded his son with the right system. Kind of dummy proofed the empire in a sense. Anyway, I met him one time cause he needed something from our dept. I was cordial and told him where to get what he needed and Ill never forget how he looked through me as if a human was not standing there. I thought it was my color but come to find out, all he respected was money.
What about cats like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zuckerman(whatever the Facebook dude name), they kind of built something from the ground up, would it not be difficult to avoid the arrogance of having a dominant product from your brain child creation(I know some of their ideas were stolen)?
Well your dummy proof cat didn’t build it and his whole life he’s been living it. His basement level has always been chips so humble to him is respecting those who have money like him. To a lot of cats who inherit the game humility has to be taught by exposing them to how life could be very different. That cat most likely doesn’t have that experience. Shit a whole bunch of check to check cats think the same way and they don’t have any money at all. So when I meet cats like that I usually fall back because either they want to understand how life got them to this point or they say fvck it what can this little cat do to me. That’s why they don’t come outside too often because the one factor money can’t buy is courage.
What cats may confuse arrogance (lack of humility) for with the cats who made it is they know when they hear BS. I myself have a hard time respecting cats who have great plans but don’t do a damn thing. I hear some whoppers and I mean some Triple Whoppers with cheese coming out of cats mouths like they are going to revolutionize the game… and then they all fall back into some dumb shit. So for Gates, Jobs & Zucker they know so much about their craft that most people seem like idiots to them. Again it may come across as arrogance but it’s really them knowing more than the average bear in their field.
But, for most of the rich people who are on TV they at some point realize they have been blessed, fortunate or whatever to have money beyond reason. So they give back in some way or another. I watched a interview with Warren Buffet and he talked about how lucky he was. He brought up that if he had been born Black he wouldn’t have had a chance during the time he came up in. So a lot of them realize how timing and everything was going their way. They are humble when it comes to getting money because they know potential can’t be quantified. But, they may come across arrogant primarily because you know he’s a billionaire and most people are already judging them.
It’s the same way pretty women are treated. If a pretty woman says she doesn’t like a guy she might be called a bitch but truthfully she doesn’t like him. If a ugly woman says the same thing a man can take it easier. Now what did that pretty woman do that was so different from the ugly woman? Nothing, but the world judges and interprets people’s responses by what they think would come out of a pretty woman or a rich persons mouth. This is the cross you will have to bare too when you get your chips right no matter how low from the ground you came. I get it and I ain’t even rich!