In high school, I thought that the best way to show humility was by walking with my head down. It was depressing, of course, as I only saw the cracks on every street and the remarkable ineptitude of our local department of public works and highways. In college, I realized that I couldn’t make friends that way, so I held my head up, squared my shoulders and actually improved my overall posture. It felt really good seeing the faces of equally ambitious students and the beauty of a green campus! My first set of college girl friends was a blessing. We enjoyed gymnastics together, lunches out, and daily mass in UST chapel. We studied together in the library or by the fountain and did class presentations with confidence, standing dignified in front of the class in our white and blue Arts and Letters uniform and black or white heeled shoes. It was good training for one who would later go to job interviews with English-speaking managers at 17. It was good training for one who would later deal with adults in government and private offices at 18. It was good training for one who would later go back to college to fulfill her dream and pass job interviews and teaching demos at 22 and beyond. Other than faking (confidence) and becoming it, I’d say that doing my job – research and preparations – is another necessary ingredient to succeed. In fact, shouldn’t knowledge and skills be the basis of real confidence, not just beauty or posture or expressiveness? A third ingredient I shouldn’t forget. Humility should remain, not by walking with my head down but with my words, actions and attitude. Any other ingredient? Wishing you all success in everything, however you measure it. – MLJ/24/10/2020 -
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