Proud people are annoying, right? They are those who always think they are better than others and never get tired of flaunting their accomplishments. Worse, they can be aggressive if you outshine them—they would not accept defeat.
As you do not like prideful people, you have to be careful not to be like them so others would not be annoyed with you as well. You have to evaluate yourself from time to time to make sure your feet stay on the ground.
If you are struggling with pride and you want to get rid of it, here are 20 ways that can help you do it.
1. Do not compare yourself with anyone else.
This is the usual culprit of pride—comparison. So that you will not think too good about yourself, avoid checking how you do by comparing your achievements and capabilities with other people.
2. Do not compete against anyone.
In connection with the first tip, do not aim to be better or higher than anyone else. This will affect how you treat others because everyone becomes a potential threat to you. If competition is an effective motivating force for you, then just compete with your past self so you will be determined to be better.
3. Acknowledge the strength of others.
If someone does better than you in one area or another, then accept that truth and do not resent the person. Remember that there will always be someone greater than you so accepting this fact and being happy for those who standout will save you from bitterness and poor social life.
4. Encourage those who are weaker than you.
If someone does not do well as you do, cheer that person up and sincerely encourage him/her. If you can, then be willing to help him/her to improve. Do not be afraid that s/he might exceed you.
5. Admit your mistakes.
Whenever you have committed a mistake, be humble enough to admit it. Knowing when you are wrong and admitting it is a sign of maturity and wisdom. Moreover, only courageous people can do this.
6. Be willing to apologize if you have done wrong.
It is not enough that you admit your mistake. You have to sincerely face the people you have hurt or done harm and apologize. Together with this, you need to accept open-heartedly whatever their response would be to your apology.
7. Practice sportsmanship.
In competitions, it is normal that someone wins and someone loses. Prepare your heart for the truth that you cannot be the winner all the time—but that is part of improving your craft. In case you lose, stop crying foul but rather genuinely congratulate the winner.
8. Do not let appreciation get into your head.
Too many praises and appreciations could make your head grow big. To avoid this from happening, just treasure in your heart those appreciations you receive but do not meditate on them. Always evaluate yourself to make sure pride has not got into your head.
9. Do not envy others.
Envy and jealousy can cause pride too. Since you want to prove you are better than the subject of your envy you tend to compare yourself with that person, highlight your advantages and his/her flaws.
ALSO READ: How to Overcome Envy: 14 Ways to be Happy and Content
10. Be content and thankful for what you have.
This does not mean that you should not aim for greater things—you always have to persevere to achieve them. However, while you do not have them yet, be content and grateful for what you currently possess. This will stop you from being envious of what others have, which could lead you to compete.
11. Put others before yourself.
Another trait of being humble is being selfless—putting the needs and interests of others before yours—just do not overdo it so your kindness would not be abused.
12. Do not demand attention and respect.
Never demand special treatment, acknowledgment, or respect from others no matter what your position or credentials are. Like trust, respect is earned, and being unassuming is the first step to it. As the Bible says, do not exalt yourself because even God resists the proud.
13. Treat others like how you want to be treated.
If you want to be respected, then you have to respect everyone else. If you want to be served, then you have to serve others too. Never think you deserve better treatment than how you treat others.
14. Serve others.
Do not wait to be served like you’re a royalty. Be willing to serve anyone, especially those who are less privileged than you. Even Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.
15. Do not think highly of yourself.
No matter how high your education level is or how much you have in the bank, never think that you are better or more important than anyone else. The more blessings you have received, the humbler you should be. Notice how the more fruits a tree branch has, the lower it bows.
16. Do not boast about your achievements.
Moreover, stop flaunting your accomplishments and titles. Instead of impressing people you might annoy and disgust them.
17. Let others notice your strengths or positive traits.
Stop telling others how good you are at something. Let them discover that and appreciate you. What could be worse than boasting you are the best only to find out that the one you are talking to does better than you?
18. Submit to the authorities set above you.
You have to respect and submit to authority figures like your parents, teachers, boss, government officials, and spiritual leaders. Even if sometimes they seem wrong, you have to honor their authority because they have been appointed to be accountable for you.
19. Associate with those who are weaker or ‘lower’ than you.
Do not be an ‘untouchable’ to those considered ‘underdogs’. Being intimidating may seem cool (yeah, because you are cold) but if you want to be considered hot, then you need to be warm and approachable to people from all walks of life.
20. Always thank those who help or serve you, even in small things.
Gratitude is one of the best traits of a humble person. Thank everyone who does something helpful to you like the waiter who serves you or the guard who holds the door for you. Make “thank you” your favorite line.
God Exalts the Humble
If you are a humble person, no one will touch you. It will help you gain more friends and win the hearts of many. Plus, it will give you peace of mind and a happy heart because no one or anything threatens you.
Moreover, if you want to reach the top, starting at the bottom is the first step. Let God be the one to bring you high. As James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”.
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I am a 30 year Old Young Man and i have been Battling to Get into Relationships with Partners,With My Relatives,Neighbors and even Colleagues to a point when i looked around i had no one who i relate to as a True Friend who knows Me for me. And i was lonely in need for someone who can respond to the Heart i have. And a Common thread was Pride,Envy and Jealousy. Until One lady Named Lebo whom i found Love With She Called me after She told me She Would like to be in a Relationship with me but the only problem She has is my Pride…
So i made a Vow from that day 2021 01 03 on a Sunday Afternoon,that i will be better not for Her but for me and My Children born and unborn that This Sin is Crushed or else we wont have anything Beautiful in our lives because we dont know how to Appreciate what we have and what we are.
Thank you for Blessed Article,Cyril Abello.
Now i am Studying the 7 Ways to Stay Humble in a Relationships.
This morning, I was praying, and I saw a crocodile/alligator. Black and big. I read in Job that LEVIATHAN is the king over children of pride. I know one thing about God when it comes to pride, HE RESISTS the proud. I am proud. But I don’t flaunt it in peoples faces. I don’t tell anyone about my accomplishments. It’s the secrecy in my heart, what I say and think. Because people almost all my life have said “NO” to me or have used material things to discipline me by withholding them or to gain power or control over me. And I get really mad and say “I don’t need you AT ALL” because it hurts and I don’t like to depend on people. Someone tried to cast this out of me and couldn’t. It’s true as it says in Job. It is strong. No one can tame except God. ONLY God can cast it out. help me Lord. I hate pride as well. There’s a person that I regret being around. She is and her family are proud. TOO proud for me to be around. I don’t even want to be around them anymore. Everything is always about “them them them” pride is contagious if you’re not cautious with the people you surround yourself with.
Thank you, I too have been shown I’m too prideful!
It never occurred to me in the slightest, it was masked by my humility.
It was God who I asked for healing, only the other night when my tears wouldn’t stop falling! I asked what was wrong with me, he showed me the next day. Thank you dear lord and thank you for this article for the clarity I needed.
This was so helpful I pray to not be prideful and this made it more realistic in what to focus on . Pride can be subtle as an introvert I stay away from engaging with people and socializing in fear of failure or rejection. That itself can be prideful for me. Being envious is definitely a problem for me at times like someone that is way prettier and able and higher status but that is a danger zone of pride . It is a work in progress . I was a very sick child growing up and my world consisted of hospitalized visits and doctors visits my childhood was lost so now I’m trying to overcome my insecurities with communicating with people because I think that loving others is fulfilling . I also believe in being content with oneself and always trying to grow as a person through self awareness and reflection has helped so this writing is super helpful in identifying focus areas. Thank you.
I found this article just now because I know I’m dealing with a long standing pride issue, and I want to change. I read that the only way to truly get over your pride is by means of the holy spirit and praying for help. Never forget that when you need help, the Lord is the best helper there could possibly be. Ask Him to deliver you from the sin of pride.
thank you so much for this article!! one question though do you have an article on how to not be so prideful? God Bless!
nevermind this is the article💀💀
Thanks so much!!!!!! Very practical and relatable, so that we can bring it down to every day life with Jesus… God bless you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!! I love it!
Very insightful and inspiring.
Thank you very much for this article. This will help me so much in my walk with Jesus Christ. I was a very prideful person showing false humility and the Holy Spirit revealed this to me.
Thank you for this. I just realized I have a lot of pride this morning. My Dad and brother pointed it out. I’m really ready to give it up. I don’t want it in my life anymore.
This really blessed me. Thank you.
Way #8 really touched me. Praise has been the driving force behind everything I was doing. It swelled me with pride and made me haughty,conceited and overbearing. I craved the praise of men until I came across Proverbs 27:21″ Fire tests the purity of Silver and Gold but a person is tested by being praised”
I’m guilty of pride and I didn’t even realize it was there. That explains why the same mess keeps happening over and over again.
I also have a lot of pride but l didn’t realise it until 1day my sister told me that l have pride because she was not the 1st to say this l had to do some research and that’s when l found out that it was actually growing with me l pray for God and anyone to help me l really want to change.
Thanks for the article. It was a good read.
Exalt me o Lord I praise you to the end of days
I’m like you Chris, help me find my way Lord
People changed my behavior ..Now i have too much pride . thank you for the advice.
This article is very helpful due to the fact that I have a lot of pride right now. I know it’s bad, but the way I grew up and the way I was treated is why I’m like this
I know what you mean
Good luck to us both!
Hi Chris yes I am where you are too on a journey of understanding what pride really is, and as a Christian I am learning what that means, I did understand that my upbringing
And most of my life before was very turbulent and aggressive I had to learn to come to a place of owning my own feelings and insecurities and took me years to stop blaming others for the anger i felt at times and other as the bible would call it fleshly thinking and learning how to deal with them I blamed the devil alot too where in fact I had given him permission to enter into my heart and soul it’s been a hard and frightening battle and still is at times. Learning how to trust God on some very painful trials is still a battle for me at times especially at this moment with my grandaughters illness very critical I swing from mood to mood praying for her healing to how to let it go and say your will be done is very hard extreme emotions are very hard to balance I realised I had to let go of past ways after spending many years of defending my self due to much critusim and bullying as a. Child I realised I had to learn to come to god in truth and give him those angry thoughts much quicker as it’s the bait Satan uses to destroy us more than the person who has commited the offence that was very hard
I found myself also praying and promising people that things would be ok where as I’m learning to say I’ll pray for you and it may well not turn out that way at all now praying instead what ever comes lord please be close to them keep them strong these are just few of the things I’m learning that wanting to fix the pain of others instead of just being there for them too was hard for me because I realised that part of going through that pain was something they needed to go through themselves so much I’m starting to understand not just about god’s character but also working with god’s help to let go listen more which I find hard at times because I can be quite anxious needing to understand everything before I trusted god constant reasoning analysing had been also a coping mechanism for self protection , I started to understand there has to be a balance of course not being a door mat but at same time not judge them , there is so much to learn and change but I have learnt I can’t change on my own I need grace mercy every day and to make choices that myself ego didn’t like but the wonderful thing I did find is if I came to god in honesty instead of trying to always get his approval but trying harder he would give me the grace to do something I couldn’t in my own strength a real battle to choose against what you want to do instead of god’s but he never forces anything he just gently offers help if we choose to do it his way and then the good feelings follow it’s a very strange way in the kingdom of God completely upside down to the way the world works but he promises he is a good father and discipines the ones he loves but he dose like us to be honest with him so thank you so much for being brave enough to say you battle with yourself as it encourages others to open up and be honest too bless you I’m still on that journey like you and I don’t always get it right even as I learn but the beautiful thing about god is he knows our human frame and is in the business of transforming us from glory to glory if we allow him lord forgive me too for being judgemental critical and forgetting it’s only by your grace I am where I am today please help us all to let go especially of the painful things and trust you more on Jesus name amen
Wow
About the “He Offers gentle help” I have after reading all of this,I’m still fighting within myself to identify whether or not if what I have is pride and where I got it from. I have found myself around very prideful individuals at work but I can’t confirm whether or not I’m taking such traits for there. I find myself criticizing everything lately even after I have rededicated my life to Christ. It’s so bad that,I tend to criticize men of God in my thoughts then I try fighting it back with positive declarations. I have in many times ask help from God to help overcome such thoughts,don’t get me wrong, I revere men of God and people higher than me put I just don’t get it at times. Well, lately I have I have been very precise to God about this with so much serious and eager to quit, then the “Gentle Help” came. I cried to God earnestly to help me understand what the problem is and if I should quit my job but most importantly why I keep having such negative criticism about things. I joined a public transport and a passenger vehemently argued with the conductor for his change and the fact that he’s been cheated and this almost resulted in a fist fight! On the first experience ,had to intervene by calling for calm put in my thoughts, I was still criticizing the passengers actions that it it’s wrong. On the second occurrence however, I intervened by first criticizing the passenger in my thoughts that he is prideful then afterwards I pointed it out to him that he was wrong in a peaceful. Nevertheless I still negatively criticized this grown man in my thoughts that he’s so prideful and how I’m different(the conductor is very young if not younger than I’m on both occasions). That same evening as I’m writing this,I had a little argument with my beloved and I rudely hanged up on her, she tried calling but I ignored her until I realized I was been rude as she has pointed out to me about my recent anger problem. I then decided to read online about how to deal with pride and I found this, it was then that I started releasing the Gentle Help. Why have same experience with same occurrence after every time I earnestly ask for help from God? The fact that I could get my addicted self off social media to read this… It’s supernatural I guess. This’s very helpful Thank you
I’m still contemplating on whether to quit the job, which will be difficult as I have to pay my fees but I think I will have to engage in an earnest prayer for the Gentle help and pay attention critical attention this time around. Thanks so much for the clarity, it’s the reason I’m also being transparent on mine. Again I say thank you and the Author of this article