Humble Aint Hard

In the spring of 1980, country singer Mac Davis wrote and recorded the song: It’s Hard to be Humble. It was the “A” side of a 45 RPM record. Raise your hand if you remember those – extra credit if you also remember the thirty-three and a third and the seventy-eights. Per the Wikipedia entry for Mac Davis, the song was “a light-hearted look at how popularity and good looks could go to one's head."

While the song was not meant to be taken seriously, I suspect that some folks, both then and now, consider the song to be an anthem written for and about them. Fortunately, I am not alone when I say that humble ain’t hard – sorry Mr. Basinger, seventh grade English teacher – sometimes the word ain’t just gotta be said, just gotta be read.

I recently read an article about Lauren Keyana “Keke” Palmer – actress, singer, author, television personality, producer, podcast host. Oh, and did I mention, Keke started acting at the age of nine and she was a millionaire at the age of twelve.

In a CNBC interview Keke said: “I live under my means. I think it is incredibly important.” In a Club Shay Shay podcast Keke said, “My parents, at their best, made $40,000 a year.” As a child actor, she said: “I was making that a show.”

Despite her success, she has never forgotten the lessons her parents taught her when she was a child. She likewise has never forgotten the sacrifices they made so that she might pursue her dreams.

Keke also said that she didn’t need to own a large, sprawling mansion nor did she need to drive around in a Bentley. Many a celebrity and athlete could learn from that sentiment, from those words.

This morning, I read a similar article about Larry Bird – one of the NBA’s finest basketball superstars. His humble beginnings have served him well and have never been forgotten, despite his illustrious career.

Larry Bird has been quoted as saying: “I can’t see putting $50,000 or $60,000 into a car when our house growing up was worth $10,000. And clothes never did catch my eye.”

Growing up with four brothers and a sister, Larry Bird knew all too well the rigors of living paycheck to paycheck. Throughout his career, these humble beginnings in the small town of French Lick, Indiana kept him grounded whenever he found himself overwhelmed with all the extravagance of being one of the best of the best.

Granted, it might be easier to be humble when you are the daughter of a truck driver and the son of an auto mechanic. It likewise might be easier to be humble when you have never experienced the life of a millionaire. As they say “ignorance is bliss.”

But for me, being humble is about a lot more than the ratio of one’s lifestyle compared to one’s bank account. I am pretty sure we have always been, and will continue to always be, in the middle of the middle class.

All my adult life I have worked under, and alongside, many people whose bank account, house, vehicle, and any other economic standard were far better than mine. With the exception of one or two people, they never acted as if they were better than me or treated me as if I was inferior to them. Trust me, those were very humbling experiences.

All my adult life, thanks in part to some of those in the above group, I have tried to live a life of similar gratitude and humility. I have tried hard to not judge or speak down to anyone less fortunate than me. And I have tried to be respectful of all those with whom I have interacted – regardless the circumstances. life is too short and all the arrogance and conceit in the word won't get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.