Humility vs Arrogance

No. I’m not going to use the typical definition of arrogance. Everyone already knows that’s annoying so it’s pointless to beat that dead horse.

Rather, I’ll direct it at the people who won’t shut the fuck up and listen.

You know the type. You’ve been fit for years. Then some fat ass comes along and tells you that you’re eating wrong and/or your workout routine needs honing. While he himself scares away the babes. (Insert eye roll emoji here).

You know the type. Awhile back, you lent him money. He still hasn’t paid you back. And he’s got the audacity to tell you that you’re investing wrong. Well buddy, if you know so much about investing, how come you can’t pay people back?

You know the type. She’s been divorced several times. She’s even got kids with multiple fathers. Yet, she’s quick to tell you that your relationship needs work. She even has the audacity to suggest improvements on something you know damn well is actually working.

You know the type. Someone who never accomplished anything of significance but won’t shut up and let you speak. Maybe if that jackass shut his fucking trap for a few minutes, he might actually learn a thing or two. But wishful thinking. It will never happen.

You know the type. Someone who can’t control his own drinking but gives you a lecture because you went out for a beer with your friend the other night.

Notice a consistent pattern here?

It’s always those who suck at life who are quick to tell you what you’re doing wrong. And of course usually, they’re wrong about what they think is wrong with you.

Humility

Humility contains a negative connotation. Which is a shame.

Humility is how you learn.

Yesterday, I hired a new weightlifting coach. Yes, I’ve been weightlifting for years. However, you won’t hear me go on and on about how much I know. Rather, I keep my mouth shut and I listen.

He knows more than I do. He’s much bigger and stronger than I am. So rather than saying “hey, I know this and this and this,” I say nothing. And learn.

Same thing with painting. Before I hired an anatomy teacher, I already sold paintings for thousands of dollars. Why? Because I was already good.

But good isn’t good enough. And I’m not going to quit my day job if my paintings only sell in the thousands. I need one more zero there.

So I took it to the next level. I actually studied anatomy. You know – bone structures, muscles, how the body moves, etc. The correct way to do it rather than painting by instinct.

And you know what I told my teacher? Absolutely nothing! I didn’t say shit.

I kept my mouth shut and I absorbed all he had to say.

It’s always those who know the least who talk the most

Yes, I talk. A lot. But that’s not what I’m talking about here.

I’m talking about telling others how to live their lives.

I don’t do that shit. Because you know what? I can’t live your life better than you can. Now, if you ask me how I’ve stayed married for so long, how I went from living in a fucking car to the upper middle class, how I stay fit, or how I learned to paint or play guitar, I’ll gladly tell you. But I’m not going to tell you how to do things until you ask.

I’m not too fond of losers who tell me how to live my life. I’m even less fond of losers who try to make laws telling me what I can and can’t do. It’s these people who I really can’t stand.

But let’s not go off on that road right now. The point of this is that I’ve noticed a consistent pattern that those who can’t love to tell everyone else how to. And those who really want to learn? They ask the right questions and actually listen when people who really know their shit speak.

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