I’ve recently been reading some of Ernest Hemingway’s classic novels this summer. Other than triggering some flashbacks of high-school English class, it’s been great. He is poetic, honest, and cathartic in his writings.
One thing Hemingway is known for is his brevity in communicating exactly what he means, which especially strikes me in these words he wrote about humility:
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
We often overthink humility, and how to be humble each day. Some wrongly equate it with self-deprecation, others with the now meme-ified act of “humble-bragging.” Neither comes close to the truth of the virtue. Humility doesn’t have to be hard to figure out, and I feel Hemingway offers us a shortcut to figuring it out in this quote.
Most of us are trying to do our best to be good people. Most of us appreciate being appreciated, and have some inclination toward having positive influence on others. Where problems begin to occur is when we start comparing ourselves to others as our measure of goodness, appreciation, or influence.
It’s a slippery slope indeed to start normalizing internal thoughts like, “well, at least I’m not as bad as that guy over there.” Enter the ego and the slimy pride with it! Instead, Hemingway offers us a shortcut – you should only measure yourself today against yourself yesterday.
This mindset pulls the rug out from under pride, and leaves just enough space in the dirt below to start building a foundation of true humility. By focusing more on how we can simply do better than we did the day before, we will not only find the motivation to keep progressing, but also allow ourselves the freedom of celebrating other people’s progress!
Did you give yourself permission to doom-scroll social media and binge-watch shows while you felt depressed and anxious yesterday? Don’t compare yourself to the sunny faces you see in your feed. Just try to do better today for yourself.
Did you find yourself parked outside the liquor store, itching to go in and break your 30-day sobriety streak yesterday? Don’t compare yourself to the folks who have months and years sober. Just try to do better today for yourself.
Whatever goals you have, and whatever resources you have available to you, the shortcut to practicing humility is not by beating yourself up with comparisons to others, but rather by lifting yourself up with incremental steps in the right direction. Practice the Heming-way (see what I did there?).
If you or someone you know needs help getting back on track, The Willow Center is here for you.
Written by Chase Cotten, Community Director
