We tend to lean towards the theoretical concept of the word or its spirituality.

But what is true humility in practice? Is it genuinely thinking less of ourselves?

Is it trying to sound less prideful than we are? Or is it something much deeper?

Finding the balance between humility and being walked all over can be daunting. Most of us believe that humility lies in the big things we do, when in fact, it is our day-to-day action that reveals our true hearts.

So, what is humility? According to the British writer C.S. Lewis, ‘True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.’

Charles Dickson’s definition goes even deeper. He says, ‘True humility is not thinking less of yourself.’

It is not being outwardly humble while harbouring pride. And it is not being weak. True humility is service to others, service to a cause greater than our personal ambition.

So, what is humility to us?

Humility is not self-depreciation. It is not letting others ‘push us around,’ being a doormat, being overly nice, or allowing people to ‘walk all over us.’

It is not constantly sacrificing our interests for others only to end up feeling like a victim or a martyr.

It is not avoiding conflict or confrontation for the sake of being nice.

It is not about hiding our feelings or suppressing our views to avoid alienation from others.

Real humility makes us genuinely curious about others. It draws our concern away from self-enrichment and towards the well-being of others.

It is putting others first in thought, word, and deed. Clearly, it resists the urge to self-aggrandise.

No doubt, it is easy to pretend that we are interested in others when there is something in it for us, like a job promotion or increased recognition.

But a person with humility is in it for the long-term common good, not short-term gain. Seeing people for who they are, not what we can gain from them!

False humility pretends to be generous, but it is rooted in self-interest.

We have the so-called humble braggart, someone who fakes modesty, shows off good deeds, yet harbours pride and superiority within.

Humility means accepting when we are wrong and taking constructive feedback to grow.

It is about having an open mind, acknowledging that we do not have all the answers.
It means respecting other people’s opinions, understanding that each of us sees the world through a unique lens and colour.

We are all in a continuous process of learning. Humility creates a hunger for more knowledge, more understanding. The greater our humility, the greater our fascination with the world around us, and the more we learn.

But do we truly listen when engaged in a conversation, or are we preoccupied with what we will say next?

Do we always want the topic to be all about us and lose interest when we have no stake in the conversations?

During conversations, are we only interested in ourselves and our ideas? 
Some of us are solely focused on trying to get our sentence in without truly listening to the other person.

Often, our non-verbal cues reveal that we are merely waiting to speak, not really listening. Why? Probably because we believe what we have to say is more important than listening to them. In other words, self-interest takes the front seat.

Instead, we should actively listen to others and then summarise what has been said. We should not try to dominate a conversation or talk over people. Rather, we should be eager to understand others and listen to what they have to say; we learn a thing or two.