MEEK

One of the traits that distinguish truly great people is their ability to be meek despite the accolades, the adulation and the applause that they are generously accorded for their achievements and stature. The background, their expertise, their sophistication, their wealth, their style, their achievements all become relatively marginal when they are MEEK because it is then that they come across as individuals who Make Every Effort Kind. In the process they actually strip away the veil of power, position and pomp that others usually see in them and then they are able to be one with the masses, displaying their truly human side and emotions of caring, loving, understanding and pragmatism.

It is often mistakenly believed that by being meek one is displaying vulnerability to the softer side of the person and that this signals a weak individual who can be pushed around. On the contrary, one can afford to be meek and should be meek purely because others cannot come up to the lofty standards and position that the individual in question has attained. More importantly, by being meek a person strengthen his self esteem, does a self evaluation and reality check by remaining grounded and can imbibe learning that is direct, practical and firsthand. A fine example of this trait can be seen in the politicians who have held office for long years; for it is when they are meek and interact with their constituents that they can build bridges of trust and confidence with their voter base.

One of the hall marks of someone who is meek is politeness. This is closely followed by two more traits, respect and consideration. In being polite, we display our cultured upbringing, our ability to bite the bullet in tough situations without rancor or aggression and express ourselves without treading on the self respect of others. When we have differences, disagreements or we are disappointed with another individual, our ability to appreciate the others view point without being inconsiderate takes a lot of effort. This effort culminates in us being respectful to others. Similarly the meek make it a point to see that others are not hit below the belt, the rules of engagement are not flouted and that a sense of proportion is maintained in criticism, in dialogue and in all interactions.

Ego is the one trait that one needs to have a good grip over if one wants to come across as a meek but effective person. If we cannot get our ego harnessed, our best of intention to be kind, polite, respectful and considerate will be futile because we would unconsciously lapse into a self righteous mode and become harsh, dominant and express ourselves aggressively. Money, power and intellect are at the root of all ego related problems. Once we are aware of this, we can make efforts to consciously note the ill effects any or all of these have on our personal behavior, style and communication. Arrogance, high handedness and sarcasm could be a set of traits that would reflect the ill effect of ego and the negative effect it has on trying to be MEEK for suddenly all attempts to Make Every Effort Kind seems very tough.

Action Points:

1. Reflect on the thought that MEEKness could be the one quality that is unique to the Human Race and possibly not found in the animal kingdom. Does this make a good case for us to be meek in our interactions without being submissive and docile.
2. How would you reflect your meek but assertive side in the following situations

• Giving alms to a beggar
• While tackling a very agitated friend/ sibling who has had a grave misunderstanding with you
• Someone subordinate to you has made a grave error and the repercussions for you are rather serious.
• You have a rather quarrelsome neighbor who disturbs the peace of the night with loud music and / or keeps the TV set switched on at a high decibel late at night.

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on - 

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now. 

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

 

EGO

While the animal kingdom abounds in examples of  a hierarchy, usually headed by a dominant male who usurps power by brute force, history bears testimony to the fact that the human race has often been subject to the Machiavellian antics of despotic, scheming and cunning leaders most of who were driven by an Exaggerated Grandiose Opinion of themselves.

From a more down to earth perspective, it is often the same EGO that has become the bane of corporate and political leadership. Opportunism, power grabbing and personal wealth creation are seen as a culmination of the EGO. If Hitler’s Aryan ego was responsible for the massacre f the Jews, the modern superiority race is played on the battlefields of technology and the ill effects are showing in terms of Global Warming, extensive pollution, the growing divide between the rich an poor countries and the constant threat of nuclear arsenal being used to massage the ego of the technologically superior nations.

While the EGO has its ill effects, it also plays a vital part in realizing the potential of an individual, a nation and a society. An individual can strive to achieve much more than he/ she is capeable of simply because his ego wants to prove itself. Similarly a nation would leverage its core strengths to ensure that it is competitive in the world. The Arab world for example would not easily let go its stranglehold on the world oil market. Similarly competition is nothing but a battle of egos and the beneficiary is the consumer who gets better choices, cheaper alternatives and better customer service. The society at large is then a beneficiary of the ego vs ego game.

For us the important learning is that the ego exists and if it is leveraged correctly, can be exceptionally beneficial. Else, our Exaggerated Grandiose Opinion could be like quick sand from which we cannot easily extract ourselves; the consequence is anybody’s guess.

Action Points:

1. Doing a reality check on ourselves would be a good start. The best way is to pay close attention to the criticism we get be it at work, home, from our children or parents. The annual appraisal time is also a good time to consciously make an effort to check our ego levels. Do we keep mentally refuting all criticism or vociferously justifying our actions?
2. Make a list of people whom we are not comfortable with or have a dislike for. Now objectively assess if your dislike has to do more with the competence and self confidence of the other person and this affects your personal ego?  How do you feel when you are in the company of some who is the life of a party or who can tell the most hilarious jokes or people who easily attract people around them? Who are the icons of society that you envy? Does ego have a part to play in your envy of the person?

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/