Humble:  not proud or arrogant

I feel that those who truly make a difference in peoples lives and are a joy to be around are those who are humble. As I sit here tonight I had this thought and how it ties into our gym, including our trainers and clients. As Mike and I , and our other coaches train each client that comes in the door, we have to put ourselves in their shoes. I personally have been down the road of being unfit,  low self esteem, and recovering from a major surgery. When a person comes to us and they are asking for help because they are at a point in their life that they need to feel better about where they are at with their health, we have to continually be humble so that we are able to understand their concerns and feel their passion of where they want to go with their fitness journey. Wether that be getting fit enough to get to the Crossfit Games, or run their first triathlon, or play a college sport, or be to able to play a game of ball with their kid or you fill in the blank. These are things that I hope all our clients and trainers no matter how fit they are will recognize and think about while they train with us. As I look around our gym I feel that most who walk in our doors are pretty humble people, which makes me smile. I think that is what makes our gym and community what it is and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Appreciate the talents and qualities of others. Challenge yourself to look at others and appreciate the things they can do and, more generally, to appreciate people for who they are. Understand that everybody is different and relish the chance you have to experience different people. You will still have your personal tastes, your likes and dislikes, but train yourself to separate your opinions from your fears and you will appreciate others more – you will be humbler.

Rejuvenate your sense of wonder. Because we, as individuals, know practically nothing, you’d expect that we’d be awestruck more often than we typically are. Children have this sense of wonder, and it inspires the curiosity that makes them such keen observers and capable learners. Do you really know how your microwave works? Could you build one on your own? What about your car? Your brain? A rose? The jaded, “I’ve seen it all” attitude makes us feel far more important than we are. Be amazed like a child and you will not only be humbled; you will also be readier to learn.

Help Others. A big part of being humble is respecting others, and part of respecting others is helping them. Treat other people as equals and help them because it is the right thing to do. It’s been said that when you can help others who cannot possibly help you in return, you have learned humility.

Appreciate your talents. 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 pride, the kind of pride that leans toward arrogance, is rooted in insecurity about yourself. Think about the abilities you have, and be thankful for them.