Learning to be humble is of paramount importance in most religions and spiritual traditions, and humility can also help you develop as a person and enjoy richer relationships with others. In reality, however, perhaps the hardest of our natural passions that we can subdue is pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as you please, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself.
Even then we can definitely strive towards achieving humility. Being humble doesn't mean you can't feel good about yourself. Self-esteem is not the same as pride. Both come from a recognition of your own talents and qualities, but arrogant pride, is rooted in insecurity about yourself. It is imperative to understand your limitations and to always remember the fact that there is always somebody who is better than you, in whatever skill that may be. Another aspect that we find to be very difficult is trying to stop judging others before finding our own faults.
Letting go of meaningless, simplistic comparisons with others will definitely make us enjoy doing things without worrying about whether we are better or worse than others. This would make us humble, as that would bring peace of mind. Praising others for their special qualities, as I had written about in one of my earlier posts, also enhances humility. Rejuvenating your sense of wonder, just like children, and having the curiosity so that you can be keen observers and capable learners also makes you humble. Helping others in every way possible, seeking guidance from people around you and gentleness are, of course, cornerstones of any humble person.
Having said all this, I still maintain that humility is always the toughest virtue to possess. For even if you could conceive that you have completely overcome pride, you would probably be proud of your humility. This is especially true when we live in a society that encourages competition and individuality.
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