I Can Learn From Everyone If I Am Humble

Hey team. All right, so here we are again. What a wonderful week we are getting ready to jump into. I wanted to express something to you. I read this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it really got me thinking again about our core values, especially humility.

Let me share this with you. He said, “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” Let’s unpack that for a second. Every person I meet, if I have humility and I recognize it, can teach me something.

If we go into every conversation and every room thinking that we’re the most important and the smartest, then what are we going to learn? You’re not going to soak up much knowledge. And you’re not going to grow in any way because you’re not trying to. You’re trying to show off, you’re arrogant, you’re prideful. You’re everything that goes against what our value system is all about.

I know I’m not the smartest person in the room. In fact, I work very hard to find people smarter than me, because I know I’m not the smartest person there.

So how about you? When you walk into a room, when you meet with somebody, when you see someone on the street, do you believe that every person you meet can teach you something? Do you believe they are superior to you in some way? If you do, then you’re probably growing and learning quite a bit in many areas of your life.

If you’re going through life believing that you already know it all, well, in the Marine Corps, we used to have this thing we’d do when somebody was doing something stupid. We’d go out in the parking lot, pick up a piece of gravel, and say, “Hey, you dropped your ID card.”

Now I want you to pause and think about that. I gave you a rock. Here’s your ID card, because you’re a rock. That’s not a good thing. There are times when someone might say, “Chad is a rock,” meaning he is a foundation, solid, resolute. In those moments, that can feel pretty awesome.

But if somebody walks out in the parking lot, picks up a piece of gravel, and says, “Hey Chad, you dropped your ID card,” they’re saying, “Dude, you’re not very bright.”

Don’t be a rock, don’t think you’re superior. Don’t be arrogant. That’s why humility is one of our core values. It means so much to us, and to me personally. I’ve had moments of arrogance. And every time I have, I usually end up eating shoe leather. It never tastes good, because I put myself and my own thoughts and ideas above someone else’s. I thought lower of someone else instead of higher.

I try not to do that, I strive not to do that. I’m not perfect at it, but I still strive. And I think we all should.

So as you go into this week, think about it. Say to yourself, “Everyone I meet is my superior in some way.” If you approach it with that mindset, then you will probably learn from them, through them, something you can take into yourself—and you can better who you are.

Have a wonderful rest of your week. God bless you, and let’s keep being valuable by being humble, because nothing less will do. See you guys next week.