Humility

Bess Ogden

WARRIOR Master Trainer

Self-perception is a tricky mirror. Do you have a set of traits that you feel represent the "real you"?

The other evening I ran a red light making a left turn. My heart sank when I realized those flashing red and blue lights in my rearview mirror were for me. Dang it.

The young officer came up to my window, "Hello, Ma'am. Do you know why I pulled you over?"
"Yes..."
"You know that yellow means slow down and prepare to stop?"
"Yes..."

I was SO embarrassed and abashed! He eventually let me go with just a warning and a pleasant "Have a good evening, Ma'am."

Here's the thing: In my mind I am a super compliant, law-abiding citizen. I even said to the officer, "I always stop at that intersection..." He finished my sentence, "...except this ONE TIME when a CHP happened to be behind you." (Was he being sarcastic? LOL.) Of course I've been hypervigilant about following driving rules and regulations after that! What I realize is that in fact I frequently "run" yellow lights when I should be slowing and stopping. My self-perception was not really accurate!

It made me think about other qualities I ascribe to myself and whether they are true. The theme of WARRIOR Rhythm Lesson 14 is HUMILITY. I am looking at myself through that lens right now. Am I really "always on time"? Am I really a "lone wolf"? Do I always "try to understand all perspectives"? Maybe. Maybe not. There's a lot to be said for the power of affirmations. Here's one that my husband and I say to each other on occasion to inspire action: "We are the type of people who don't let a little bad weather stop us from getting outside." Boy, that's been a hard one to live up to lately during this relentless rain and wind!


I'll keep digging up some humility to examine my beliefs about myself: Are these qualities that I hold dear still valid? Do I want them to be? What is an affirmative thought and what is a misperception? What will I do with this self-awareness?