I was taught the importance of proving myself before advertising myself. However, the current emphasis on self confidence seems to have had the opposite effect. A recent survey discovered that seventy percent of students rated themselves as above average leaders and only two percent as below average. Sixty percent rated themselves as above average athletes and only six percent below. Twenty five percent said they were in the top one percent in people skills, sixty percent said they were in the top ten percent, and no one claimed to be below average.
Have we eradicated low self esteem, I wonder; or just increased arrogance? Interestingly, the Bible’s advice is ‘Be modest in your judgement of yourself… and let others praise you.’ Low self esteem may be a curse, but humility has always been a virtue.