It was my privilege, once, to read the written words of a Holliday Park member in good standing, who had served the community in many capacities in its beginnings, and had been asked….”how the Board of Directors had for so many years….led the community so well, often facing great adversity, with a certain “oneness” and clarity that let each resident feel confident and well represented by those they had chosen to do this job?”

The author of the answer to this question, had spoken simply and eloquently about a certain characteristic that had been commonly held by each of  the “seven” Board Members, either by fate or circumstance. What was this quality? It was referred to as possessing “a humble heart”.

The author went on to say that each Board Member knew and recognized their individual strong points and their limitations. This self knowledge allowed them to value themselves and yet be honest in recognizing the strengths and talents of other people, and the contributions that each elected member brought to the challenges and tasks at hand.

Being humble, modest and unpretentious, and not overestimating your position on the Board, along with a true appreciation for the other Board Members, and the needs of the people you serve, also exemplifies true humility.

A great part of truly being humble-hearted is to know and expect that you will make mistakes and that every person makes mistakes, it’s part of the human condition. The hard work of being humble is to admit that other people may be right in their opposition to you, and your own best thinking. Accepting that you are fallible, that everyone is at some point; allows you to accept and respect the views of the other people who are working with you, for the greater good of the Corporation and its 694 members.

Being humble-hearted has benefits, very great benefits. Not only do you have inner peace and contentment because you accept yourself, warts and all; you are more kind and generous in your treatment of other people. When conflict occurs, you will, as many successful Board Members have done in the past, react with patience, a quiet demeanor, and respect.

You are able to open yourself up to learning and to seek the opinions of experts, and or those you admire for their knowledge and experience ,when you are in doubt as to what action to take when a problem needs a solution. Seeking advice and counsel from many sources, and having a plan for the future that is based on what has been learned from the History, By-laws, Policies and Procedures which have been established over-time, through trial and error; allows for mentoring, gaining insights, and for the attainment of progress in every endeavor.

Humble hearted people put aside ego, pride, personal agendas and self-serving behavior, in order to do a difficult job. They never boost or brag about their own accomplishments, nor do they value their own thinking above the thoughts and opinions of others.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

When you practice being humble, and do the work to keep your pride under control, it becomes a habit, and positive life changes occur. Those changes not only impact the quality of your life, but also the lives of those around you and the projects and work you undertake.

For these very reasons, Holliday Park has been blessed, in its History, to have had among its residents, those who have the self-discipline, morality, intellect, an deep within them, a warmly beating humble heart that allows them to be their best, and embrace the best in others, for the greater good of the community, and each resident within it.

When you exercise your right to vote, in the coming elections, or at any time, look to see who among the candidates, best exemplifies the virtues of humility and humanity that have just been described. Those who possess these traits are the wisest people among us.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 10:11 pm and is filed under Holliday Park. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.