In a world where everyone is constantly trying to prove themselves, there’s a lot to be said for humility. The quality of being humble is generally overrated, but have you ever noticed it’s the people who exhibit humility are the most relaxed and yes, even confident, people you’ve ever met? It takes a supreme belief in yourself and your abilities to be able to step back and not blow your own horn. More importantly, this is a trait other people have come to value and even seek out.
Sounds pretty good already, doesn’t it? Now consider this: being humble is actually good for you. How?
Humility Helps Create Better Relationships
If you’ve ever been part of a group, you know already there’s a particular dynamic to the relationships within this gathering. Whether the group is of a social or business nature makes no difference as the hierarchies remain much the same. Being able to work within this group becomes dependent entirely on the personalities of the people within the group.
Studies have shown humble people tend to thrive in these situations, mostly because they attract other group members to them. Also, because their focus is more outward, even to the point of sacrificing their needs for the good of the group, they become the person people look to for answers and guidance. The egotistical person is generally the one merely tolerated and even left out.
Humility Allows You to Shoot for the Stars
If you’re a fiercely competitive person, humility is precisely the trait you need to cultivate. For CEOs, both qualities have proved necessary to those who would succeed in such a high position. Why? Simply put, humility is what softens those hard edges found alongside the competitive spirit. Humility is what makes people still willing to follow you as a leader, where a competitive spirit alone might seem off-putting and even undesirable.
Humility Leads to Better Physical Health
This one might come as a surprise to you but think about it this way. People who enjoy a great deal of humility very rarely experience the conflict in relationships other people do. Relationship stress is one of the most significant contributors to adverse health outcomes, such as heart disease and a whole other host of physical ailments. In fact, it’s been theorized that those low in conflict recover faster from illness and even have more robust immune systems, keeping them from getting sick in the first place, a fact proven by various studies.
