Humility: freedom from pride or arrogance. Whatever you are doing right now, “give yourself time.” To “give yourself time” means to allow yourself to work at the task without deciding ahead of time how much time you will spend on it. (An idea mentioned in Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams) Yes, sometimes we need to get things done. …And, sometimes the urge to rush makes things worse. Years ago, I heard about an article in a jiu jitsu magazine. Something to the effect of - A student was frustrated because he was unable to finish a choke against a particular student in class. His teacher told him he had the wrong goal. If your goal is to choke that one opponent, then the achievement of your goal will always be dictated by someone else, the person you're trying to choke. If you set the goal to practice the choke 10 times before or after class, you can control that, get better at the choke, and ironically, have a better chance of landing the choke against that one opponent. Pride says, whatever path I’m on must be right. Humility is what allows us to determine if we’re on the right path, and if not, to change over to the right path. Set goals you are in control of. And, give yourself time. Stay humble. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and place it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16
