Humility

We live in a highly competitive world where success is defined by how much money we make, the breadth of networking we have, the number of doors leading to more opportunities and by the end, it’s defined by a resume, a reputation.

We love creating new stuff, “the next big thing”. We love climbing the corporate (or social) ladder. We want to be seen, be heard and be recognised upon. We work so hard for this, and more. 

When we are at the top, we forget to look down. We only want to go higher. We forget the nitty-gritty simple things in life, and as days gone by, we are consumed by our own ambitions. At some point in this climb, we got struck by an incident that makes us realise the real point of everything: to appreciate life as it is and get back to the ground with all humility.

I always think, if we can and always make the “next big things”, why can’t we appreciate the “little things” that are abound around us? If you insist of being productive and to continue creating, why not look at the simplest problems in life? For that matter, why not create products that focus or let people to enjoy the little things in life? More importantly, if we go all out to make money from a product we make, why don’t we go all out to make the best experience for others? 

When people start to have ambitions, particularly material ambitions such as financial rewards or reputation, they start to lose their authenticity and humility. They start to treat people as tools or mediums of which they could advance. They start to only be “kind” to the people who “matter” for their careers or reputation. They get rid of people who come to their obstacles, often in a demeaning way. If they succeeded this way, they would do the same for their next climb.

People are greedy. The motivation is imminently influenced by pride, not by the willingness to solve problems. They create products or work only for money or reputation. Living becomes a chase, working becomes fighting… only for themselves.

I wouldn’t want to be number one. I don’t want to create the next big things. I just want to create or work on things that matter to life: mine and others’. I want to appreciate more, reward people more (not necessarily in financial means), and understand more. Economy and politics can be tough, but nothing is worth fighting for than a meaningful life.And remember, we are not necessarily better than anyone else.