Life Lessons in Humility Can Boost Your Pride

In modern society, people often scream one another down in search of validation. But the validation of our human voice can come from more than just having our voices heard.

Being vulnerable with this weird image I took, Christyl Rivers

Be assertive, not annoying — it’s not that easy

In being too privileged and pushy, we alienate. In being overly timid, we lose out. But there is a middle path.

Lately, I have had a series of doctor appointments. Our health care system, famously, is broken. It is no longer personal. The doctor rarely has time, or interest, in face to face exchange and presence. Usually we have a few brief moments with a technician.

My experience is that, he or she, is too busy tapping upon a computer screen looking up to acknowledge, intermittently, that you may be there, or you may be just a wall.

Many others tell me the non-face time office visits are the new normal.

In such situations, to be heard you can become obnoxious, or you can become humble, patient, and politely assertive.

For this particular appointment, I chose polite assertion. Despite the complex hurtles of healthcare, I received most of what I needed. Had I shown any sense of “entitlement” I thought it could backfire.