Today’s Wednesday word is: Humble.
This link up is hosted by Debbie over at DebRuns. Be sure to click the button above to see who else is linking up today and to join in!
When you hear the word humble, I think it’s easy to immediately think it means thinking very little of yourself, almost in a demeaning way. As if you should denounce your accomplishments and successes, and shove them under the rug. But I don’t think that’s right.
Being humble means being conscientious – helping a friend or stranger out. Having an outward focus makes it easier to pursue happiness, because happiness comes easiest when you’re not actually actively pursing it. Good things come to those who wait, and humility fosters patience. A humble person knows that the high points in life will come, and they’re grateful when they do.
Being humble isn’t completely about philanthropy, though. It also means knowing yourself – your strengths and weaknesses, your limits, and your morals. One of the most humbling things I have done is run a marathon – a race that will certainly bear your strengths and weaknesses.
Training for and running a marathon requires a lot of focus on yourself. But at the same time, you learn a lot of lessons in humility during both the training process and the race itself. During training you learn patience, you learn about making mistakes, you learn to make sacrifices. Then on race day, at some point, you’ll feel like the distance is greater than your ability to conquer it. But then you remember to be grateful for your health and your ability to be out there. You dig deeper, find another gear, and push through, along with everyone around you fighting the same battle.
Some say we runners are self-centered. But I say running has taught me more lessons in being humble than most other things in my life.
What does being humble mean to you?
Turkey Runner 
Great post. I like the C.S. Lewis quote!
That Lewis quote is a good one! I always read it twice in a row.
Doing something for others and not expecting any recognition or reward. It just feels good.
LUD.
Definitely. And sometimes, you get an unexpected reward (like those free Chick-Fil-A gift cards I got!).
Of course I already wrote about it. 🙂 There are times when I do think running is a selfish waste of time. I know ultimately that isn’t true, but sometimes it feels that way.
It does feel that way sometimes. Especially when you’re taking hours away from your family to go train for a race that will make a weekend all about you while they’re along for the ride. But running makes me a better person, which is better for everyone else, too 🙂
I think we runners are a bit self centered…but we can never be too confident, because our sport makes sure to keep us humble!
The second you get too full of yourself, running is right there ready with a wake up call 🙂
You are just wonderful and I feel like I know you in “real” life from Deb!! Great perspective, as always.
Thank you! Maybe we’ll actually get to meet in real life for Ragnar Richmond!
I love your positive take on humility, and how in a big race, we’re all working towards the same goal. That’s so easy to forget.
It’s amazing how you can feel like you’re struggling alone in a sea of 30,000 runners, isn’t it?
I think running does a pretty good job of knocking us off whatever pedestal we try to put ourselves on. LOL Taking care of your body is still humble in my opinion!
Running is pretty good at reality checks. 🙂
Hearing your thoughts on running a marathon makes me want to try the distance 🙂 I also don’t think of myself by running as being self-centered, self-motivated yea, giving self-love yea that too. Running has taught me so much about me and about how to handle life itself. I think we all could use a little more of that! Great post!
Go for it! It can definitely be considered self-centered to take time to go run, but you’re taking the time to do something good for yourself. In the end, that’s most important. You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself.
#truth-running has taught me more lessons in being humble than most other things in my life (I love this!)
I agree. You can learn so much from running that just resonates in other aspects of your life.
Great take on the word humble! While running through the mud on my final loop at Ragnar, I started thinking about this word, and determined that the mud was very humbling; and so was the 70-year-old lady who ran past us giving us tips on how to run better in the mud. She passed us and was out of sight in no time! THAT was humbling!
Thanks for linking up!
It definitely was. I saw that lady, too! I always saw her when I would happen to be hanging around the Village area and she would be in the transition area ready to head out for her run. I need to know these tips she had for mud running 🙂
Your quote is great! I like the angle on humility you pointed out. Self should not always be first, thinking of others first is a very important life lesson 🙂
Running is always so humbling, I have learned just because I accomplished sometime once doesn’t mean i can do it again… delicate balance between confidence and being humbled lol
Very true! It’s crazy how you can finish a race in a certain time, and then struggle to finish in a time significantly slower on a different day. It’s nice of running not to let us get too full of ourselves, huh? 🙂
Training for a marathon in this heat and humidity will probably be one of my most humbling experiences. But, I’m ready to find out what I learn from it. I’m sure there will be lessons.
Are you training for your first marathon? The two that I have done have both been fall marathons, which meant training through the heat and humidity of summer. It’s worth it come race day, though!