You’ll ruin your chances of genuine success if you’re egoistic.
The more you feed your ego, the more it eats away at your capacity for self-awareness.
People’s egos get fuelled when they receive praise for their successes.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you cut off every person who gives you a compliment.
All of this depends on how well you deal with respect and admiration.
Are you leveraging your small wins to build your self-esteem?
If so, then you’re heading in the right direction.
If you’re using them to boost your vanity, then it’s time for some reevaluation.
If you’re concerned about being too arrogant, that’s a good sign!
Read on to find out how to not let success get to your head.
Signs That You Could Be More Humble
When you’re performing at your peak, it’s difficult to see the red flags.
It creeps up on you gradually, but if you don’t pay attention, success can make you arrogant.
Consider the following list of warning signs.
If you find yourself worrying about any of the following characteristics, relax.
Knowing about them is the first step towards overcoming them.
You’re closed off to feedback.
Having success affects everyone in different ways.
Change because of success is bound to happen.
A successful individual, however, is generally the last to observe their own transformation.
You’re more likely to observe these changes in a friend or acquaintance.
It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re the only one who can do a good job at something.
That, however, is not the case.
The only way for a person to flourish is to receive feedback, both favorable and unfavorable.
They are open to criticism from anyone.
It might come from anyone: coworkers, spouses, or clients.
Having an air of superiority that you’re better than everyone else is the worst thing you can do.
That’s why you’re doomed to repeat your mistakes: you’ll brush off the earliest warning signs just as an opportunity to make a difference presents itself.
And when you act in such a way, most people will quit responding to you.
Prepare to hear criticism.
Moreover, rather than just sitting back and hoping for comments, you should actively seek input from those around you.
Ignoring it will only hold you back from grabbing your full potential and expanding your business.
You fail to be grateful.
Being thankful and appreciative of what you have is a topic of conversation amongst all circles.
It’s so overused that it’s become a cliché, but it’s still true.
When you achieve success, it’s highly unlikely that you did it all yourself.
The lack of gratitude is the root of all misery and complacency.
It encourages constant impulses for more, with no appreciation for what you currently have.
Not that you shouldn’t push yourself further.
The point is to value what you have while pushing yourself to expand your horizons.
As opposed to constantly striving for more, it’s important to take stock of your accomplishments every once in a while.
Showing appreciation is a skill that can be developed.
You can always alter your perspective and shift your worldview.
Gratefulness is seen by most successful people as a strategy to keep one’s focus on the present and protect one’s sanity.
They establish habits like keeping a gratitude journal in which they record the awesome things that have happened to them on a daily or weekly basis.
You don’t have to get too creative with it.
Just take a moment to reflect on your current situation and how you would react if you suddenly lost the things that mean the most to you.
Try this easy exercise to see things in a new light.
You’re in severe need of some modesty.
The modest nature of excellent leaders is one of the positive attributes that set them apart.
Consider Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela.
They stayed unaffected by their newfound fame and fortune.
They maintained a modest attitude and a commitment to helping others.
People respect and admire them because of this quality.
Attaining a high level of success, especially if you are the most successful person around, makes it difficult to maintain a modest view of one’s own importance.
You might be trying out some upscale establishments and shopping for designer apparel.
Because of your newfound fame, you stop treating others with respect and pride.
Every business owner and top executive should try this easy test to see if they’ve evolved.
How long has it been since you admitted you were wrong?
How long has it been since you publicly apologized to your team for a mistake you made?
If you have forgotten, perhaps it is time to reflect on how you interact with others.
You have to think about those who were there for you while you grew your business and assisted you along the way.
A simple thank you for their hard work might set the tone for a chain reaction of positive interactions.
Your self-confidence has turned into egotism.
Most often, ego is to blame when success makes you arrogant.
That is not mean that you should fully suppress your ego.
But you need to master your ego rather than be mastered by it.
Egotism can be disastrous, and there is a world of difference between that and healthy self-confidence.
Look at Trump.
Because of his overinflated sense of self-importance, he made several foolish choices.
His pride led him to disregard warning signs and the counsel of his advisers.
Evaluate your ego and learn to manage it before it dominates your life.
The key to success is striking a healthy balance between pride and modesty.
You don’t want to be a weakling, but you also don’t want to be overbearing.
You have little respect for others.
A single person cannot establish a thriving empire by himself.
Your success thus far is likely the result of the efforts of so many folks.
You can’t possibly have succeeded without the assistance of others, no matter how much you might prefer to believe otherwise.
You should pause for a moment and show the proper amount of respect to your loved ones and teammates.
Anyone in business who shows contempt for their superiors is setting themselves up for the biggest pitfalls.
It could make others view you in a very negative light, and they might not want to work with you as a result.
It’s the little things like this that can end up costing you the contract you’ve been hoping for or the partnership you’re gunning for.
No matter what you may have heard, good manners will always be in style.
When others greet you, try returning the gesture with a smile.
If you can manage to be the first to greet your cleaner or receptionist, that works, too.
By doing so, you may foster a positive corporate culture and attract and retain devoted employees who will work toward common goals with you.
Related Reading: Treat Employees Like Family – Learn Why It is Important Here.
Steps You Can Take To Stay Humble
Admit that you can’t be the best at everything.
There is always someone more skilled than you, no matter how hard you work at your craft.
Always think about how you may get better by emulating the best and taking inspiration from them.
There will always be other things that you cannot do and perhaps never will be able to do, even if you are “the best” in your field.
Accepting your limitations is not the same as giving up on your goals or your pursuit of knowledge and growth.
It’s the simple admission that nobody’s infallible and nobody can handle everything on their own.
Acknowledge your mistakes.
It’s much simpler to cast judgment on others than on ourselves.
It’s not just useless, but it may be downright destructive to your and someone else’s life.
Relational strife and the inability to develop new connections are both the result of judging others.
Even worse, it discourages us from making an effort to better ourselves.
We constantly form opinions about other people, most of the time, without even recognizing it.
Practice self-judgment by keeping track of the times you judged another individual or group and applying that same standard to yourself.
Rather than focusing on how you think other people should act, focus on how you can better yourself.
After all, you can only control your own actions and decisions, not those of other people.
Make an effort to improve upon your shortcomings.
Regardless of how competent you are, remember that learning and developing is an ongoing process.
This is all a part of painting your mental health.
Don’t brag.
Self-respect and pride in one’s achievements are commendable qualities, but you can’t be the center of attention all the time.
It will get tedious if you’re always trying to hog all the credit.
Those around you will likely have picked up on the fact that you’ve done something remarkable, if you’re aware of it at all.
And they’ll appreciate you all the more for your modesty.
In other words, if someone were to ask you if you run a marathon, it would be completely okay to respond yes.
Just don’t go on and on saying how awesome you are for running it.
Related Reading: What Qualities Should Every Entrepreneur Has? – Find Out Here.
Final Thoughts On How To Remain Humble
The first step toward developing humility is becoming fully conscious of the issue at hand.
In some cases, it might be painful truth, like acknowledging that your ego has been clouding your judgment.
The key to being a humble person is being completely honest with yourself.
Perhaps it’s time to take action if you found any of these points to be true about yourself after reading this article.
