NOTE: This is a post from the Humble for President blog. Learn more at www.HumbleForPresident.com

Have you ever committed a humblebrag?

Humblebrags gained widespread popularity across Twitter when Harris Wittels, a writer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, coined the phrase to describe a brag clumsily couched in falsely humble phraseology.

Since Wittles started the Twitter account, which he uses to post examples of humblebrags, he’s gained almost 200,000 followers (His Twitter profile photo? A woman giving herself a gratuitous pat on the back).

“I think bragging sucks, don’t get me wrong, but I get it,” Wittels told the Wall Street Journal. “What I hate about a humblebrag is that people try to come off like they aren’t bragging. It’s people not being honest about their intention. Just tell us you are at an exclusive party. Don’t hide it behind a complaint about your dress not fitting.”

Humblebrags present an interesting question: What is true humility? Is it genuinely thinking less of yourself? Is it trying to sound less prideful than you actually are? Or is it something else—something deeper?

True humility isn’t about lowering yourself for the sake of keeping up appearances simply because it’s impolite to brag—but to do so for the sake of serving others. “Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself,” as the British writer C.S. Lewis once put it, “but thinking of yourself less.”

Humblebrag underscore the idea that our pride has a way of leaking out, despite our efforts to disguise it in seemingly humble language. It also illustrates the chasm between authentic humility, and faux humility.

The dictionary defines humility as having a “low view of one’s own importance.” But humilitas, the Latin root of the word, means “to lower yourself,” as Macquarie University Professor John Dickson notes in his excellent book Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love and Leadership. As he explores the origins of humility—which he says was first used in Roman culture during the second and fifth centuries AD—he defines it as “the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself.” Dickson’s definition of humility goes miles deeper than our culture’s comparatively crude use of the world.

True humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s not being outwardly humble, while harboring pride. And it’s not being weak. True humility is service to others, service to a cause greater than your own personal ambition.

Question: How would you define humility? What does it look like in your everyday life, or the lives of others? Leave a comment below.

Can you imagine a world where the people were unintentional with their lives? A world where you didn’t aspire to grow or learn or dream? Can you imagine living in a place where your time was dictated by television schedules and your dreams were inspired by ads showing a fake world of fantasy?

Yes, I actually can.

It sounds ludicrous, but it is true – we are trained to live uninspired, unintentional lives dictated by messages to become some person around an infinity we may aspire to.

This world creates unintended outcomes because there is not intentional living.

Don’t believe me? Here is an example. What is the outcome of receiving random messages to eat certain “fun” foods like sodas, desserts, juices, candy, etc.? The answer, diabetes. The unintentional over consumption of sugars produces large amounts of diabetes in our country. Whereas an intentional plan to eat in moderation dramatically lowers the chances of the disease.

Case after case and story after story reveal unintended consequences and the pain that goes with it.

Maybe unintentional living is actually intentional when you stop to think about it. People have a tendency to replace pain with medication, boredom with activity and distress with distraction. Maybe we intend to live unintentional after all.

King Solomon told us to look at Ants to get a proper perspective of life. Now that sounds funny doesn’t it? And yet he was the wisest man to have lived. The ant works with other ants, towards a goal of provision for the colony. I don’t remember seeing fat ants by the way (I am sure there are).

It is time to reverse unintentional living. It is time to stop and think about the outcomes of living unintentionally. The outcomes are uninspired lives, useless affairs, poorly raised children, untrained employees and boring companies.

When you live intentionally, you will lead intentionally. You will begin leading your employees correctly and your family with excitement. The outcomes will show up in your organizations fruitfulness and in your family dynamics.

Some of us need wake up calls. A reprimand from our doctor or dentist to change our ways. Perhaps in a small way this blog will do that. Maybe, just maybe, you will stop and ponder over the holiday’s as to ways you can live intentionally towards a purpose that is bigger than a television series.

To live intentionally is to lead intentionally. It is the best way to lead and the best way to live.

What percentage are you operating at today? 50%, 80%, maybe even 95%?

If you kept track of this for an entire week (and I think each of us should), what would your average be?

Monday = 75%
Tuesday = 80%
Wednesday = 60%
Thursday = 45%
Friday = 85%
Saturday = 90%
Sunday = 90%

While I know everyone’s ranking will be different, it really doesn’t matter. It is your personal ranking and your percentages that do.

What keeps you below 100%. It is idealistic to consistently rank your days at 100%, I know. However, I am convinced that we choose certain things that keep us from our best.

If I were trying to lose weight or feel better about myself and yet had 1-2 donuts or candy bars a day, do you think I would be at 100%? Obviously not. Those two ventures into junk food land would bring my health % down by whatever percent I believe for me.

Conversely the same things happen in our every day life. For instance,

*When we choose to worry instead of trust.
*When we choose to harbor resentment versus reconciliation.
*When our confidence is found in peoples perception of us versus who we know God has made us to be.
*When we allow the junk of the world to enter in and affect our soul and mindset.

There are thousands of distractions and negatives that can enter in and take our 100% hostage in any given day. Yet when we highlight those percentage stealers it makes it a bit easier to turn things around. It is normally what we choose to do that steals our joy and peace.

Make a list of your daily percentages. At the end of your day right your percentage for that day. Then list why your percentage was lower than 100%. If is over 100%, by all means, right it down.

Where are your margin points and what took you off of 100%?

When you recognize the trends you can make adjustments and enjoy better days.

I’m extremely excited about a brand new initiative we have just launched. It’s called HUMBLE for PRESIDENT.

It’s a campaign of the American people asking for Humble leaders in every president, including the President.

A lot of ideas exist about how to bridge our nation’s political chasm, and fill our leadership vacuum—vote out one party, vote in another, change the leadership in Washington. But what we need most are changed leaders in Washington and changed leaders on Main Street as well. Leaders who are humble rather than prideful. Leaders that unite rather than ignite. Leaders who care more about the cause than the applause.

Are you with me?

Humble for President is a non-partisan, grassroots movement calling on this nation’s next president—and all leaders and citizens—to adopt a new spirit of humility: an unvarnished virtue that has the potential to transform not only our politics, but our everyday lives and leadership. We need secure, confident, humble leaders.

From the corridors of our nation’s Capitol to the corporate boardrooms of Wall Street, our leadership landscape is littered with fallen leaders: once-promising men and women whose sense of power became detached from humility. Their actions along with other instances of corruption and scandal in our nation’s political leadership, have led to historically low-levels of faith in the American government.

Our political system is largely a reflection of ourselves. In short, Washington is broken because we are: A corrosive pride pervades our pursuits—in our personal lives, our businesses and our politics. In Ancient Greek mythology, hubris kept heroes like Achilles and Icarus from achieving true greatness.

And so it is with leaders in our world today.

But personal and political humility can change that.

Humility unites; pride divides.

Will you join us by supporting HUMBLE for PRESIDENT?

Here’s how:

1. Go to http://humbleforpresident.com/vote/ to cast your virtual vote (entering in your email) in show of support for Humble for President.
2. Consider volunteering or donating to help the campaign spread the message of humility from coast to coast.
3. Go and tell others about the campaign. Share via Facebook, Twitter, etc.
4. LIKE our Humble for President Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

The title of this post is the theme to this year’s Chick-fil-A Leadercast which is taking place this Friday, May 4. The event is simulcast from a live site here in Atlanta to over 125,000 people around the globe.

I am excited for our team, amazed by the amount of passion and effort that they put in to making this event world-class, and I’m encourage by the fact that we’ll be collectively impacting the lives and leadership potential of many.

The point of this post isn’t just to talk about Leadercast, although this year’s theme is the point.

You see, the choices you make define the leader you become. And the choices you make are not just about you. They’re about the positive impact you can have on your organization, your community, and beyond. Our world needs everyday leaders who will choose to make it a better place.

Every decision you make matters.

Be intentional.

Be proactive.

Think things through and make the choice that makes a positive difference.

You can.

I can.

We can, together.

Is your belief relevant to your world?

Belief leads to action. You act on what you believe.

Belief is a conviction. It is having confidence in something.

If I believe in God and his plans for the kingdom then that belief will spur me on to do things consistent with that belief.

If you believe that leaders can be built and trained you will act on that belief. Conversely, if you believe that leaders are born and you can’t affect people then your belief will most likely cause you not to invest much into others.

It is easy to find out what people believe. There actions will show it.

If a colleague is so focused on themselves first you know they believe they are something special and thus focus on taking care of themselves over others. Conversely, if a leader is focused on hiring the best people and investing in leader development then that leader most likely believes in their people and their mission.

Belief is relevant. What are you confident in? What do you believe?

The famous NPR show, This I Believe, asks a variety of people to record what they believe. It is fascinating. If I were to record you today, what would we hear? If you don’t know, simply look at your actions. Your beliefs should be clear then.

I want to convict you to have convictions. Know what you believe. Be clear. Everyone else can see what you believe, make sure you know.

Belief is relevant in marketplace. Actions prove that to be true.

One of my favorite phrases is:

A great question is better than a right answer to the wrong question.

Questions are powerful.

The good ones evoke a little bit of perspective and a lot of inward thinking, which is important to help us reflect, be challenged and grow.

Today, I’d like to share a few important questions that I think can benefit us all…

If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be? Just kidding. They are better than that.

1. When you were little you most likely dreamed about what you wanted to be. Did you ever dream about who you wanted to be? If not, do so now. Who do you want to be?

2. What things are currently keeping you in bondage? Name the shackles that are keeping you limited.

3. What do/did you admire about your grandparents? Do you see that thread still living in your family today?

4. If you could give up one thing today and walk away from it completely free, what would it be?

5. What would you want your kids and grandkids to say about you once you are gone?

These are just a few. If you have other great questions please feel free to share.

Each of these provoked me to think. The answers are personal. The questions are universal. Remember to use questions as you lead others to freedom and change.

Some of you might consider yourself to be a pioneer or an entrepreneur. Some of you might believe you are an intrapreneur (entrepreneur inside a large corporation or organization).

No matter which one you are there is a foundational mandate to people like us.

The mandate is simple, but powerful…

To Do anything of great consequence you must first Be.

If you do without the being, your doing will come undone.

An Entrepreneurial Leader must:

• Find out who they were made to Be
• Analyze motives constantly
• Understand their capacity levels
• Get comfortable with risk
• Act with great confidence in the vision

At the core of great leadership and influence is personal leadership.
Who you are impacts what you do.

The following is a guest Post by Chris Ediger, Vice President, GiANT Impact

For years I misunderstood humility.

If you had held up a card labeled “Humble” and asked me to say the first thing that came to mind, it might very well have been something like, “Nun.” My view of what humility looked like was someone who was quiet, blended into the background, never ‘tooted’ their own horn, and was, at least a little bit, self-deprecating.

The problem? This definition is simply not true.

Dr. Henry Cloud helped me start to have a much healthier sense of what true humility looked like.

He wrote in his book Integrity that…

“Humility is not self-deprecating, but real and honest. When someone is who he or she really is and does not act as if he or she is more than he is, that is not arrogance, but secure identity.”

This ‘confident humility’ is when you function out of the best of who you are, while being fully aware (and open with) who you are not.

What affect does having confident humility have? Here are 3 benefits:

1. It Causes You to Stretch Yourself
I don’t know how many times I have learned a new skill set primarily because there was an unrest in my soul. There are many times that I look at things that we pay others to do & think, “I could do that!” Now, I may not have the time to do it, and it may not be worth my time to learn/do it, but there are times when I have decided that the investment of my time, energy & resources is worth the effort. Who I am today, in large part, is because of what I have pushed myself to become.

2. It Helps Things Happen
There’s nothing more frustrating to me than indecisive meetings. I know that there are times when things need to be set on the table and discussed. If we are not careful, though, we can find ourselves walking out of more meetings than not with an unhealthy sense that little was accomplished.

One reason there is indecisiveness in meetings and teams is when no one in the group feels like they can take the lead and accomplish what needs to be accomplished (or at least see that it happens). Having confidence in your strengths & abilities allows you to step up, meet the challenge, and get/keep things moving.

3. It Makes You Much More Fulfilled in What You Do
It’s taken me a long time to figure out what my niche is, but the more I’ve discovered that place, the more fulfilled & impactful I have become. I often tell people that I’m more & more ‘in my sweet spot’ – meaning, I am operating out of my strengths & passions because I know what “I Can Do Better” than others. It allows me to serve others in a much deeper & richer way than if I was simply going through the motions.

Question: What are your thoughts about having Confident Humility?

I love blogging. It’s a great outlet for me to share some of my thoughts on leadership and life. Even more than sharing, I enjoy getting the emails and comments from people like you when a particular post resonates or challenges a new way of thinking. That engagement encourages me and I’m thankful to you for it.

Below is a list of 10 of my most visited posts (to date). I hope that you will find something in the list that will help you and your leadership come alive!

10 Books Every Leader Should Read

Making Leadership Come Alive – An Interview with Joel Manby

Voices of Leadership with SETH GODIN

Apprenticeship instead of Mentorship

One Word that Leaders Need to Speak About More

Personal Failures, Presidential Success: Lessons from Harry Truman

Leaders are Readers – 3 Books To Help You Expand Your Impact

History’s Top 10 Liberating Leaders

How to Handle Competition

The Power of The Start