What Does It Mean to Be Humble, Really?

What if the very thing you think is protecting you is actually holding you back?

In this episode, George and Liz tackle one of the most misunderstood concepts in personal growth: humility. George shares the story of how God had to literally break him to get his attention, Liz opens up about being humbled by an unexpected lesson in love, and together they dismantle the myth that humility means thinking less of yourself. This conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about ego, pride, and what it really means to stay grounded.

A Superpower in Disguise

Humility is one of the tent poles of the superhuman framework. It's also been a core part of George's identity for decades. He calls himself the happy, helpful, humble human.

But Liz admits she spent a long time misunderstanding what that meant.

"For over a year or so that we've been working together, I think I was looking at humility the wrong way. Because my goal in terms of being your quote unquote content therapist was that I had spent a lot of time trying to get you to come out of your shell, to own your power, to step into the light instead of sidelining yourself as a number two. So I was always worried, is that humility piece, is that humbleness piece, something that hamstrings you?"

George had tried to explain it wasn't quite what she thought. Now they're finally unpacking it together.

How George Defines Humility

For George, humility is a blend of religious beliefs and psychological ideas that help us grow as humans.

On the religious side, humility means recognizing that we depend on a higher power. In Christianity, Jesus is the ultimate example of humility because he served others selflessly. The Bible tells us to be humble towards each other, acknowledging that God favors the humble and opposes the proud.

"Religiously, humility means submitting to God or a higher power that you believe in and understanding that your talents, my talents, your successes, my successes are gifts from this higher power or the God that we believe in. It also involves serving others and putting their needs above our own."

On the psychological side, humility is about having a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses without being arrogant about it or self-deprecating on the other side.

"True humility involves having balanced self-esteem where we don't think too highly or too lowly of ourselves. In this sense, humility includes self-awareness, recognition of our abilities and limitations, and an openness to feedback and new ideas so that we can grow over time."

Confucius put it this way: "Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues."

The Bible echoes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

God Had to Break Me

When George introduced the superhuman framework, he mentioned that God had to break him to teach him humility. Now he tells the full story.

He was living in Jewett, Ohio, working at a camp called Faith Ranch. They had 2,100 acres. Horseback riding. Summer camps. George was a camp counselor, archery instructor, rappelling instructor, certified lifeguard, and certified riding instructor in both western and English.

"Your boy used to be a cowboy. I watch Yellowstone, and it reminds me of my past. It's not like this fictional thing."

He was making $100 a month with room and board. He'd been saving up when a motorcycle showed up for sale. The camp director, Bill, who was like a third dad to George, told him he didn't think it was a good idea.

George didn't listen.

"I didn't really need a lot, but we were making $100 a month. And so I think I paid like $700 or $800 for this motorcycle. I didn't heed any warning. I was very like, I don't care what you say. I'm gonna do what I wanna do. Be careful, by the way, when your brain does that to you right there."

One weekend between camps, George and some friends decided to go into town to play basketball. He hopped on the motorcycle. They followed in a gold station wagon. After playing hoops and having some Mountain Dews, they headed back to camp.

That's when George decided to show off.

"I start going kinda fast. And if you know anything about Ohio, you know the roads are windy. I'm wearing a pair of shorts because we're playing basketball. I have a leather jacket on because I'm not an idiot, and I have my helmet on. Thank God. Because it probably saved my life."

He was going about 80 miles an hour around a turn when a possum walked into the road.

"I tried to dip out and dip back into the turn, but my front tire caught gravel instead of the asphalt. I remember trying to lean off of my bike because I knew it was going way wrong, and so I remember leaning off the bike, and then I remember waking up and standing up and telling them to get my helmet off."

The Aftermath

George couldn't get his helmet off. He was claustrophobic. It was a full-face helmet filled with dirt. His friends told him they couldn't remove it because he might have a neck injury. He insisted he wouldn't be standing if he had a neck injury.

The first responder showed up in a pickup truck because they were out in the country. George sat on the back of the truck, saw the ambulance coming, and blacked out.

The next thing he remembers is coming to in the ambulance. There was an older woman, larger, looking down at him. He asked her to marry him. She giggled. He passed out again.

He came to in the hospital just in time for the doctor to rebreak his wrist, which he didn't realize was broken but they had to reset.

The damage: dislocated shoulder on his left side, broken wrist on his right side, stitches in his knee because gravel and asphalt and knees don't mix.

When George was sitting in the hospital bed, Bill, the camp director, was sitting next to him.

"I'm waiting for it. I'm waiting for the I told you so. I'm waiting for the lecture of all lectures because he was almost like a third dad to me. And you know what? He just humbly sat there and didn't say anything, and he took me back to the camp, and he made sure that I was okay."

The next day, George saw the motorcycle. Trashed. The gas tank was laying beside it. The seat was mangled. The forks were bent. His friends told him that when he went off the road, they saw the bike do six flips. You could see six indentions in the ground where the bike had flipped. They found the gas tank 150 yards on the other side of the road.

The Moment Everything Changed

Then came the part that almost made George want to die of embarrassment.

It was Monday or Tuesday when the campers showed up. George realized he had to go to the bathroom. He went in, did what he needed to do, and then at 25 or 26 years old, he realized he couldn't pull his pants up.

"So I had to yell out of the bathroom, help. Somebody help me. And Chuck, I'll never forget Chuck's name. Chuck came in, and he's like, what's up? And I said, like, bro, I can't pull my pants up. So he pulled my pants up, and he said, are you okay? And I said, yeah. I'm okay."

George shut the door as Chuck left. He sat down on the toilet seat and started bawling his eyes out.

"Because I realized at that point, for God to get my attention, he had to break me. It was because I wasn't paying attention to good advice. It was because I was letting ego get in the way. It was because I wasn't focused on being a humble human that I had arrived at this place."

What Changed After

Because of that moment, humility went from nonexistent to a major focus in George's life.

He became less focused on himself and more focused on others. This is where his fascination with body language, micro expressions, and reading the emotions in a room came from. He started understanding the difference between proud and pride.

"I tried to start to walk the world with a lighter touch versus this, what up until that point had been very much like a bull in the China closet. Like, I'm gonna show up. I'm on me. I'm a wreck whatever's in my way. And I was like, maybe that's not just the way to show up."

That was 27 or 28 years ago. He's been focused on staying humble, deflating the ego, focusing on others, being wise and listening ever since.

Liz's Lesson in Humility

Liz shares her own humbling experience, though it looks very different from George's.

She reads from something she wrote in the newsletter:

"You don't experience great love. You are humbled by great love. You don't experience inspiration, you are humbled by inspiration. You don't experience pure joy, you are humbled by pure joy. You don't experience the divine, you are humbled by divine."

She explains that she's gone through one of the most excruciating lessons in love she's ever experienced. An unrequited sort. She didn't admit it out loud until she told a friend that very weekend.

"I'm an only child of only children. I like me. I like winning. I like to joke. I don't need to be the best. I just need to be better than everybody else. My first word was no. And that's not some cute quippy joke."

But this love lesson taught her something different.

"When you really love someone, you are not in the picture. Because you want them to experience happiness and love on their terms, however they define it. Whatever they define it as. And with whomever they define it as."

She calls it beautiful and painful. Zero out of five stars. But probably the most humbling lesson she's experienced out of many humbling lessons.

"Humility comes in all stripes. It's not just the times you get knocked down. Sometimes, it's a thing that shows up on your doorstep, and you asked for it. And now you have to bring it in and accept what it's here to teach you."

Proud vs. Pride

This is where George addresses the confusion Liz had about humility holding him back.

"It took me a long time to realize I could be proud of myself without being prideful."

He says that again for emphasis: You can be proud of yourself without being prideful.

"Humility is about having a realistic view of yourself. Which by the way, when I say that, that means if you're a stinker, then you're a stinker. But if you're not, which I know if you're listening to this, you're probably not, then have that realistic view versus the view that your internal worst enemy might be having of you."

Humility means acknowledging your talents and accomplishments while also recognizing that you're not perfect and there's always room for growth.

"When you're humble, you understand that your successes often come with the help of others and that you can learn from everyone around you. At the same time, it's important to recognize your own worth and achievements along the way. This is not about bragging. It's not about being arrogant. It's about having confidence in your abilities and being proud of the hard work and dedication that led to the successes in your life."

CS Lewis captured it perfectly: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less."

Daily Practices for Staying Grounded

George shares the routines he uses to manage his ego. He's quick to note these aren't always daily. Sometimes he does them daily. Sometimes he skips them for a week or two. But they're the goals and aspirations he tries to keep in place.

Start each day with gratitude. Before letting the day take over, take a few minutes to reflect on what you're thankful for. This becomes even more important during catalyst moments or stressful parts of your journey. Focusing on gratitude might be the oxygen you need to move forward.

Practice active listening. Make a conscious effort to listen more and talk less. When it works right, this helps you understand others better and keeps your ego in check. If you're listening to the input around you, it can become a mirror.

Embrace continuous learning. Audiobooks, podcasts, courses, blogs. Seek out new knowledge at every turn. And don't always stay in your lane. Allow yourself to learn random things of curiosity. This reminds you that there's always more to learn and that you don't have all the answers.

Admit your mistakes. This might be the hardest one. When you mess up, own it and apologize if necessary. In your personal life, it's a win for everybody. Professionally, it's next level stuff your clients probably aren't used to.

Reflect on your day before bed. Think about what went well. What could you improve? How did you treat others? This is the diagnosis of where that 1% better came from. You've got to be open to looking at the bloopers of your life, not just the highlight reel.

When Ego Is Running the Show

For someone struggling with ego and finding it hard to practice humility, George offers this advice. But first, a warning:

"Please take the advice because being broken to learn these lessons is way more difficult. I would just rather you learn these lessons and be able to implement them in your life."

Practice self-reflection. Take time each day to reflect on your actions and attitudes. Journaling can help you identify moments when your ego took over. Self-awareness is the first step in managing your ego. If it goes untapped, unchecked, unnoticed, it's like high blood pressure. It starts out normal and just keeps bubbling up.

Seek feedback from those around you. This will be real difficult if you're friends with ego. But actively ask for feedback from trusted friends, family, or colleagues. Be open to their perspectives even when it's uncomfortable. Before his motorcycle accident, George was like a horse with blinders on. He just saw straight ahead. He couldn't see to the left or right.

Focus on listening. Make a conscious effort to listen more and talk less. Truly pay attention to what others are saying without planning your response. Too many times when we're communicating to be right, we already know what we're going to say before they finish the sentence. Liz calls that out: "That's not communicating. That's lecturing."

Acknowledge others. Regularly express gratitude and appreciation for their contributions in your life. The amount of things that just happen and nobody says anything is almost terrifying. We should be telling people more often: man, that was awesome, or you did a great job, or I appreciate you.

Embrace lifelong learning. Adopt a beginner's mindset. Remember that there's always more to learn and that everyone you meet knows something you don't. Do you walk this planet thinking you're the smartest person in the room? You may be, but that doesn't mean you need to think that way or act that way.

Focus on serving others. Engage in activities that help others without expecting anything in return. Volunteering, random acts of kindness. These can ground you and remind you of the value of service and community.

Remember your roots. Reflect on where you started and the journey that brought you to where you are. Recognize the support and opportunities that helped you along the way.

"To know that I've gone from one room log cabin to business owner. To know that I've gone from a one room schoolhouse to certified HubSpot trainer. To know this massive change from being an inbound zero to being an inbound hero. You gotta remember your roots along the way."

Why Humility Matters

George closes by explaining why humility is essential for personal growth and strong relationships.

Humility fosters a mindset of continuous learning. When you're humble, you acknowledge that you don't know everything and that there's always room for improvement. This openness to new ideas is crucial for personal development.

Humility helps you build stronger, more respectful relationships. Approaching others with humility instead of ego increases your ability to listen actively and value their contributions. This creates a foundation of mutual respect and trust.

Humility encourages empathy and compassion. By recognizing your own flaws and limitations, you become more understanding and forgiving of others' imperfections. This empathy strengthens relationships and fosters an environment where people feel safe to be themselves.

Humility reduces conflicts and promotes collaboration. When you're not driven by ego, you're more willing to compromise and work together towards common goals.

Humility helps you stay grounded and realistic. By keeping your achievements in perspective and acknowledging the contributions of others, you avoid the pitfalls of arrogance and entitlement.

"That's where you wanna be, approachable and relatable. Trust me when I tell you, you want to be moving yourself as far away from arrogance and entitlement to approachable and relatable, especially as you travel this journey to a life beyond your default."

Quotable Moments

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less." — CS Lewis

"You can be proud of yourself without being prideful."

"For God to get my attention, he had to break me."

"Pride makes us artificial, and humility makes us real."

"The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk."

"You don't experience great love. You are humbled by great love."

"You've got to be open to looking at the bloopers of your life, not just the highlight reel."

Your One Thing

George's takeaway: All he's ever really trying to do is manage his ego. Not kill it, but manage it. When you're managing it, you can cultivate a more humble, balanced perspective of the life you're living. Remember: you can be proud of yourself without being prideful. That distinction changes everything.

Liz's takeaway: Humility comes in all stripes. It's not just the times you get knocked down. Sometimes it's a thing that shows up on your doorstep, and you asked for it. Now you have to bring it in and accept what it's here to teach you. When what you want shows up, it demands absolute acceptance for what it is as it is. Are you willing to be humbled by what you seek?

Reflection Questions

1. When was the last time life had to break you to get your attention? What did that moment teach you about yourself?
2. Where in your life are you letting ego drive the decisions? What would it look like to approach that situation with humility instead?
3. Can you identify moments when you were proud of yourself in a healthy way versus moments when pride took over? What was the difference?
4. Who in your life gives you honest feedback? When was the last time you actually asked for it?
5. If humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself, how would that change how you show up tomorrow?

Ready to go deeper? Press play above and hear George tell the full story of the motorcycle accident that changed his life. If you've ever struggled with the balance between confidence and humility, this episode will give you a new framework for understanding both.