Too smart to be humble? - 5 steps down

saving and spending
saving and spending (Photo credit: 401K 2012)
Now, I have noticed that there are at least two types of people, and the biggest difference relates to pride:

It is all about the difference of asking for or being handed credit and how you handle it

People who try to act smarter than they are.

They are easy to recognize.

This type of person is commonplace, they are greedy for praise or honors, but ultimately disappoint.

These are the people who sit around at work, complaining and doing little. 
Brad Feld distinguishes being busy from feeling busy in the busy trap

Perhaps, they do not have what it takes to contribute without being asked (or maybe they fear they will not get credit). 

Often they consider the menial tasks beneath them. These are the people who want to make sure they are promoted over their own level of competence.  

They are often not confident in themselves, full of bluster and seek to be popular at every step. Being popular is fine - just not at all costs. 

These people make great politicians!

Then there are people who surprise you.

 - they are harder to identify, and are in no hurry to blow their cover.

There are fewer of them, praise or honors are shrugged off, or passed on to colleagues - this is not false humility, it fits with seeing personal success as a side effect of contributing. 

These are the busy, happy people. They do work unasked, and regardless of others. They consider no task beneath them. They are confident, but often quietly so.  

Asked to do a job, they might say "I'll give it a go" with no song and dance and they rarely fail.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "If you want something done - ask a busy person to do it" ? - I think this is why. 

What are you ?

If you ever noticed how poor people seem to be unreasonably happy or just don't care too much about their looks - you are most likely in the first group - you are looking down ! -  there are some easy ways of fixing it. 

Well they aren't really easy at all at first - but they work !

Get Smart
Get Smart (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  1. Try simply telling the truth all the time, every day for a week, without hurting other people - It will teach you to forgive failure.
  2. Tell yourself the truth.  Ask yourself is there anyone who you admire, if not - look around. 
  3. Ask if there is anyone you would rather be.  If there is, you have something to prove - to yourself.
  4. There is no point trying to change what others think about you - So give yourself cause to think well of yourself.  
  5. Be good, helpful, kind, honest, hardworking - if you do this selflessly and not to be "liked" - people will notice the change before you do.

If this makes sense to you already - you may not be aware but perhaps you are already influencing others or even a leader.. 

So the last shall be first, and the first last:
 for many are called, but few chosen.

Whichever you are - ask yourself this...

Is it easier to actually be smarter than you are or easier to get on with the job ?

If one is a sure fail, the other is a clear win !
Enhanced by Zemanta