‘This might not work, but we’re going try anyway.’

‘It is what it is, but it will improve.’

‘I don’t know that…yet.’

Humility and believe or ambition may seem like odd bed fellows. However, they are critical to growth and learning. If we think we know everything, we can’t learn as we don’t think there is anything for us to learn. If there is only ambition, we run over people, but without it, there is no drive.

The hard balance to strike is accepting things the way they are, while also working to bring about change. This is hard because we want/need to be fully present (acceptance) but also seeking to change. The acceptance helps us see, listen, feel the status quo, the gift of the past. These are critical to ‘seeing’ that situations are rarely homogeneous. People respond differently, try different things, and behave differently. Humility enables us to see that we are responding in one way, but it is not the only way.

Self-belief and ambition help us explore other options. They help us learn.

It’s a balancing act, not an act that throws one out. And the world needs people with both more than ever.

Photo by Piret Ilver