It occurs to me that humility is a gift you give yourself. It is a freedom. It allows you to see that when people sling shit at you, they are really aiming elsewhere. You are just a ghost who happens to be in the way.
It does not mean you cannot react when people attack you. It simply means you don’t have to. You are not pushed by pride, which is to say a deep seated sense that your critics–most notably your inner critic–are right. You are not fending off spider webs in the dark.
It is right and appropriate to feel pleasure and satisfaction in work that is well done, but another entirely to place your emotional health in the hands of others by demanding acceptance and recognition.
Most people are idiots. I say this not to make myself feel superior, but to remember that their voices really don’t matter that much.