Want to Be a Success? Be Humble and Hungry

“If we remain humble and hungry, we can win.”

– Dave Allison, retired ice hockey defenseman

Does anyone really respect the dude with the chip on his shoulder, the egomaniac who constantly feels the need to brag about his latest conquest, be it a woman, Mustang or job? It?s not too hard to see behind the veneer and find out what really lies underneath: a frail, insecure guy lacking in self-confidence who compensates by exuding excessive amounts of it.

Humility rocks

Have you ever caught yourself showing off to make yourself look better? Ever find out your friend/colleague/coworker succeeded in something and feel the need to outdo him? If you have, don?t feel too bad; we all do it. One of the key factors in maintaining your inner game, however, is practicing humility and being comfortable in your own skin.

It?s normal to compare yourself to others, especially in your teens and 20s. Everybody?s figuring out who they are and where they fit in, and it?s pretty easy to look at the next guy and see how you measure up.

What?s that, your former classmate has some super important job at one of the most successful social networking businesses in the world and you?re selling cars/coffee/sets of knives? This isn?t the time to flex your muscles or talk about some random accomplishment of yours because you feel inferior. You?re the only one comparing yourself to anyone else or judging your place in life. Do you really think anybody else really cares about how successful you are in any venture, be it financially, physically or creatively? If they do, they?re close-minded pricks not worth giving the time of day to anyway. So, don?t compensate for your misplaced frustration by bragging about your hot new rims or how ?freaking sweet? your apartment is. People are just going to think you have a small penis you?re compensating for. Be true to yourself, happy with yourself and modest. Others will respect you and you can sleep at night knowing you?re the best man you can be.

Have you ever met someone really successful who also happens to be incredibly down-to-earth and humble? You don?t need to be a cutthroat asshole with an ego the size of the Death Star to be successful. That?s not where true self-confidence lies.

You?ll be a success when you drop the pretense and just focus on what you need to achieve. Dwelling on things like how big your muscles are or how much money you have compared to others is not only incredibly childish and boring, it?s actually just creating obstacles for your success, diverting attention from your goals.? Humble yourself and free your mind of negativity. Knowing that you?re happy with yourself will only get you closer to achieving the goals you want to achieve.

Want to learn something and follow in the footsteps of your idols? Practice humility. You can?t progress and reach your full potential with a know-it-all attitude. Successful people, from sports legends to celebrated philosophers to rock stars, look up to those before them. Kurt Cobain looked up to John Lennon, who looked up to Elvis, etc. Have you seen the Quentin Tarantino film ?Kill Bill?? In it, the main protagonist, the Bride, trains with the master Pai Mei to perfect her fighting skills. In order to better herself, she humbles herself and submits to PaiMe?s tutelage. You can become a better-rounded person by admitting you don?t know everything and taking in good advice from other successful people around you.

In order to progress as a person and develop your inner game, you?ll need to free yourself of the obstacles you yourself place in your path. A surefire way to becoming a better person is to admit that you have a lot to improve on.? It?s an eastern and western idea and something worth considering the next time you feel the need to brag about your house, job or some girl you picked up at T.G.I. Friday?s.