After moving to a new university where his previous accolades went unrecognized, Barret Michalec realized that while he studied humility as a scholar, he lacked it as a practice. His journey illustrates that true humility is a form of grounded self-awareness that allows one to value the contributions of others within a larger system.
Key Takeaways:
- What Humility Actually Is: Research defines truly humble people not as self-effacing or meek, but as holding accurate views of their abilities, acknowledging limitations openly, and recognizing themselves as one part of a larger whole.
- When the Spotlight Dims: Moving to a new institution where his reputation didn’t precede him sent Michalec into a professional tailspin, revealing how deeply his sense of worth had been tied to external validation and recognition.
- Empathy Wasn’t Enough: Reflecting on his own empathy program for health professions students, Michalec realized that feeling with others was insufficient. What students, and he himself, needed was humility: the ability to see oneself and others differently.
- Building Humility Muscles: In 2024, Michalec developed HIIT for Humility, an evidence-based online training program modeled after high-intensity interval training, designed to help individuals build consistent habits of self-awareness and acknowledgment of others.
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