Modesty- the best policy?

I received a very motivating email forward this morning, you know, not the regular inspirational message that tells you ten things about friendship in a weepy powerpoint and then tells you to forward it to ten friends lest you want to lose ALL your money and your EK AKELA BF in just ten minutes.

This one was ekdum alag, it had a long list of things that will make you contented and happy at the end of a long day if you did them/put them into practice/understood them. I took fancy to one particular sentence that said: "Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born." It stuck me because it was so simple. And so very difficult to achieve. Atleast, IMHO.

I truly believe that the higher a person goes, the easier it is to be modest. Imagine a person whose resume reads like a dream--- Best school- Harvard or Oxford, Best job- CEO of Google or some such super hot company, University accolades, Co-curricular activities ka champion and all those small little perfect things that adorn a dream resume. Add to this a George Clooney face and a Bill Clinton personality. Theek hai chalo, Ek Carmen Electra jaise biwi bhi karlo add.

Now, I believe that it is simpler for this person to be modest and underplay some of his achievements. The world already knows him, talks about him, worships him. Kitne saare log look upto him as Big Boss. He has a LOT of things going for him so its easier for him to be modest saying "Nahi, mein itna bhi mahaan nahi" with a shy shahrukh khan dimpled smile.

Now, take another scenario of an average guy--- B+ schooling grades, thik thak university and a decent paying job. No George clooney resemblance here but definitely a khwab for that Carmen look alike next door. This guy does a great job at one of the company meetings and then brags about it for the next one year to all his friends, family, neighbours, and the doodhwala. He tells everyone who earns less than him, how successful he is at his job and how much they will have to work to reach at his position. "Yeh aasan nahi hai" he would say with a sly shakti kapoor style, as if he has the mantra to turn sand to gold, when an innocent looking junior tries to know the secret to his "success".

Do we know one of these people here? Do we? I think we do. A majority of us would fall under the second category- average success in most fields with a relative decent success thrown in one of the things that we excel in. Would you leave a chance to blow your own horn if its probably something great that you have done in a long time? (And the fact that you know it is going to be another zillion years to your next achievement!) Would you be full of humility and modesty and shake off the ' Wah Wah's' with a smile saying, "It's nothing."?

I think it is very difficult being modest. It is more difficult being modest when you know you have achieved something big and no one seems to be recognizing it, talking about it. That said, I want to be a more modest person. I am working at it. Bada mushkil hai!

Music: Intehaan ho gayi from 'Sharabi'
Mood: Optimistic