Do not get blinded by your own conceit
One of the cardinal rules of success is to have faith in oneself. Indeed, it is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that you cannot succeed if you do not have belief in yourself and your abilities. The more common situations that one comes
across are of people who lack the confidence, or the drive or the ability to propel them to the shores of success. But as always, too much of a good thing is not good either. So there are also quite a few instances of people who are so full of themselves, that they are blinded by their own conceit and
they inevitably stumble on their faces.
It is the fine divide between confidence and over-confidence that I am referring to. Healthy confidence is essential in whatever we do. But brashness and cockiness is just a step away from arrogance, and it is such hubris which is the precursor to an imminent downfall. It calls for a lot of maturity to keep such hubris in check. Indeed, the truth is that even if one has talent, or is gifted, one needs to constantly work on one’s talent to keep improving. And what is most important is to take criticism in one’s stride, and keep improving with each outing. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some of those who meet with early success in their vocation to believe that they have arrived. That is why such talent soon fizzles out. I do not have to mention names here; all of you
will recall people from all endeavours who have met with such fates.
What has contributed to the spread of such an attitude is the success and big salaries that come easily to younger people these days. And with their wallets filled — and their brains proportionately swollen — it is not easy for these youngsters to keep in touch with sobriety, let alone listen to critical evaluation. Mind you, people do not even have to be successful to fall into this trap of conceit.
I have known of several students who have got entrance into prestigious academies of learning, or into the hallowed cadres of the Central Govern-ment Services, acquiring an elitist mindset and thinking that they are no longer ordinary mortals.
Last week, I heard a friend of mine complaining that his son, who had a serious problem of obesity, and who conquered it with a closely monitored regimen of rigorous exercise and dieting, was now filled with contempt for anyone with a weight problem. He considered himself superior to them since he had got on top of his fears. He believed that the rest were sissies without any willpower!
There can be no doubt that such attitudes warp personalities and lend a false sense of reality to their victims. The more one achieves, the more there is to achieve. And there is always scope for improvement. But such progress is possible if we listen to
our loved ones who are our best-intentioned critics. And not pull the blinds down over our heads.
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