I don’t know who to thank for penning this priceless piece of wisdom, but I couldn’t help but share it on LinkedIn this week:
What a wonderful piece of advice! But it is so much easier said than done, isn’t it?
So what exactly does it look like to not “let success go to your head?” In my opinion, it means to not be boastful or prideful. It also means not taking your success for granted, but always counting your blessings and keeping a realistic (but positive) outlook. Humility is the key.
And how about the other side of the coin? What does it look like to not “let failure go to your heart?” I believe this means you don’t beat yourself up over mistakes and failures, nor do you allow outside criticism to deflate or define you. You accept responsibility for your failure, you let it sink in so you can learn from it, and then you let it go and keep on trying. You don’t sit in it. Confidence is the key.
Humility and confidence are two traits that might seem impossible to reconcile, but balance can be found. As I wrote in my book Be An Inspirational Leader, “having confidence does not have to equal being prideful, and being humble is not the same as having low self-esteem… ‘humble confidence’ is possible.”
Strive for that balance: “Never let success go to your head, and never let failure go to your heart!”
