Find Your Center & Cultivate Humility in a Narcissistic World
There are many things that contribute to the dissolution of a once-beautiful connection with someone else—but nothing is quite as effective as being selfish. And the worst part is, it can be harder than ever to determine when we’re being self-absorbed because we’re living in a social climate that fosters narcissism.
On top of that, selfish tendencies typically attract people who are self-absorbed themselves, leading to a never-ending cycle of “me, me, me,” where no one feels heard or appreciated.
Let’s Cultivate Hope
While this may seem like a heavy topic, there is hope. There are many ways to cultivate humility, even in the age of the selfie. And the benefits of being humble far outweigh any attention that one might receive by demanding it.
This article will teach you how to stay humble in a narcissistic world, allowing you to open your heart and attract the relationships and connections you’ve always wanted.
We’re going to break this down into manageable chunks that will help you evaluate your own behavior and decide which areas could use some improvement. This is not a reason to look down on yourself, even if you find that you’ve been selfish a time or two in the past—we all have. This article is here to help you learn how to grow from these experiences and move forward to a new, humbler version of yourself.
After all, no one is perfect. But those of us to look for ways to improve upon our (already fabulous) selves are on the way towards becoming who we’re meant to be.
Adjust Your Social Media Habit
Social media is part of the narcissistic problem we face as a society—but you can be part of the solution. Selfies—photos that you take of yourself—are now fixed in our society. They take up a lot of time and attention in our culture. And perhaps the question is, why?
There is an aspect of competition inherent in life, and our social media profiles are a great way to show how well we’re doing. But what are the other implications in endless streams of selfies? And how many selfies are too many? We often use social media as a way to escape the problems in our life.
After all, if you can make your life appear perfect, why not go for it? Many people choose not to share their struggles, creating a brand for themselves that includes a happy life, free of challenges and issues.
Evaluate Your Purpose Beyond Your Online Persona
Social media has become so ingrained in our culture that many people make their living off of various platforms. But turning yourself into a brand can be difficult and time-consuming, and it can also make you lose focus of who you really are.
Try taking a step back from social media and evaluating its purpose in your life. If you notice a divide between your online persona and your real life, it’s time to make a change. Try not to place so much value on how others see you or how you want to be seen.
If social media disappeared one day, would you still be able to determine your own worth? While social media can give us an ego boost—who doesn’t love a great reaction to an impromptu selfie? It can also distort our vision of who we are. What would happen if all of those likes suddenly went away?
When you put the camera down and look up at the world around you, you’ll see that there are many people struggling to accept themselves. Taking time away from social media reminds us that the real world still exists out there, and there are people that need our help.
Read This Next: How to Recognize Stress & Simply Ways to Deal with It
Set Your Intentions and Observe Your Own Agenda
While no one sets out to indulge narcissistic tendencies, our individualistic society seems to set us up for these behaviors. Narcissism is so engrained in parts of our culture that we often act in selfish ways on a completely subconscious level. And these tendencies often lead us towards jobs and relationships that do not satisfy our deepest desires.
Competition is one of the factors that lead to our narcissistic behaviors. Sometimes we look for ways to feel better about ourselves that have nothing to do with our own desires—like trying to find the highest-paying job or the most attractive partner.
Focus on Yourself
While these things may initially lead to a boost in confidence, they’ll also drag you down—because you’re not fulfilling your own needs, you’re following an internal agenda that doesn’t align with who you are. We are often pressured to “keep up with the Joneses,” meaning that we feel like we have to do and have what everyone else does and has to fit in.
Your core personality has nothing to do with the things you have, the money you make, or the looks of those around you. The sooner you learn to accept yourself for who you are—not for what you have—the sooner you’ll see the flaw in our cultural obsession with materialism.
What Truly Matters to You?
It’s time to pay attention to your agenda and make sure that it aligns with who you really are. Do you really care about making gobs of money or do you care about fulfilling your life’s purpose? Would you rather have a good-looking partner or one that listens to you and supports you emotionally?
Don’t get down on yourself if you discover that your agenda has been to fit in rather than finding your own path because you’re not alone. Just take this time to determine who you want to be and how you want to connect in life moving forward.
Observation is Key
It’s time to observe yourself and start recognizing certain signs or narcissistic traits — like bragging, putting others down, or desiring a clique to fit into. And if you recognize these traits within yourself, it doesn’t make you a bad person. It just means that you need some time to retrain your brain and find new modes of thinking.
This is the time to create socially conscious, uplifting networks within your community. Seek like-minded people who are trying to live their most open, honest, best lives. Surround yourself with people who lift you up rather than tear you down, and you’ll begin to do the same.
Look for people who inspire you and try to figure out what their secret is. More often than not, they’ve simply broken away from the mainstream and carved their own version of happiness and fulfilment into the tree of life.
Follow Your Own Path
It can be difficult to break away from the pack, to follow your own path. But learning to connect to your innermost desires—which likely include connection and happiness over Instagram likes and a huge social media following—will help you feel more confident on your path.
And when you consciously choose to surround yourself with humble, loving, giving people, you’ll start to notice those “friends” of yours who can’t seem to find a nice word to say about others. These are the people in your life who need to vamoose because they’ll only bring your spirit and your consciousness down to their level.
So put your observation hat on and take notice of the feelings you experience when you’re with your friends. If you get a sense of connection and understanding, those are people to spend the bulk of your time with. But if you notice patterns of putting others down or bragging, it’s time to find a new group of friends.
Humility is Self-Love
While people with big egos are certainly entertaining, you’ll notice that you quickly become exhausted in their presence. One thing you may not notice, however, is that they often portray a big ego to keep their insecurities hidden. When you love yourself, there is no need to brag about it.
Learning to cultivate humility requires self-love, and more than that, it encourages self-acceptance. While it may take effort and time to begin radiating humility, you’ll attract more friends and connections than ever. And beyond that, you’ll begin to create a deeper connection to yourself and your true desires.
It can be nearly impossible to find your true life path when you’re busy worrying about how you stack up against your neighbors or your friends.
Prioritizing kind and humble living will lead you towards true happiness.
Related Article: How to Develop a Habit of Daily Meditation
