Modesty

By Eileen Lindner, 1st dan

Mrs. Lindner and Son

Modesty is important in daily life.  Being proud of what you can do is a valuable trait; but overstating it is arrogance.  Working hard to achieve a skill, or do well at school or work is important and requires being modest so you can learn new things.  If you think you've learned all you need to know, you are showing arrogance, for we should never stop learning, or being open to new things or ideas or learning from the experiences of others.

Being modest means you are rightfully proud of what you can do; but are also ready to learn more, to get better and to never stop learning.  If you are working on a Taekwondo skill or poomse (patterned movement) move, we know those take hundreds if not thousands of repetitions to be part of our muscle memory – even longer to be proficient at them.  Modesty allows us to learn nuances from our instructor to improve as we go, and avoid creating bad habits in learning.

Modesty helps in everyday life.  It is valuable to know what you can and cannot do, and how you can help in a situation at work. It is just as valuable to know when to ask for help instead of diving into something that isn't familiar to you, out of arrogance.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, modesty helps us identify each in ourselves to strengthen both!