Don't Choke on that Humble Pie

The topic of "Humility" keeps coming up today. In a book I'm reading, the author writes, humility is being "as good as anyone; better than no one." And in a conversation I was having, someone said that to do something humbly is to "stop playing God."

Those two references may sound totally un-connected, but I see the through-line: In thinking I'm better than you, I'm using my ego to protect me from my fear of rejection; in thinking I'm worse than you, I'm using my fear to protect my ego; in using fear or ego, I am saying that I have control over the results. Sure, I have control over what I wear, what I say, whether or not I go to work every day, but I don't control everything, and I can't control the results. In other words, to be better than anyone, I'm playing God, and in being less than anyone, I'm playing God. Instead, I just want to be as good as anyone and better than no one.

When you're trying to be successful in the film industry, thinking you're too good can cause you to shut yourself out of good opportunities. In thinking you're not good enough, you can stop yourself from pursuing opportunities.

If you're not a good enough writer, then learn more, practice more, and get better. But don't sabotage yourself by believing you're "less than." If you think you're too good of a writer to get feedback from other people, or to join a writers group, check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Have faith in yourself as a creator that what you know is good, and what you don't know you can learn. Have faith in others that you can probably learn from them too. And have faith that you'll be okay, no matter the result.