Positive thinking can make success feel like the only acceptable option. But humility allows for grace | Jackie Bailey

"When I was a teenager in the 1990s, the government seemed to believe that the gender pay gap was best addressed by telling girls that they could do anything. Splashy, lurid pink ads told me that systemic and societal barriers would fall in the face of my self-confidence. Researchers have since debunked the notion that an individual can fix their lives through positive thinking."

"Yet there is a part of me that still believes that if I work hard and glue together a sturdy vision board, I should be able to achieve my wildest dreams: the only thing standing between me and my destiny is me. How do I find a point of equilibrium, a balance between believing that I am capable of anything but am not responsible for every failure?"

"Augustine wrote that humility was the foundation of all other virtues, and that for someone seeking God the first part is humility; the second, humility; the third, humility (Letters 118:22). For a lapsed Catholic like me, the word humility may trigger a range of negative emotions. I grew up in an era of the church when caring about your looks constituted the sin of vanity; sexual desire was unacceptable outside of procreation; and just thinking about masturbation was a punishable offence."

Neoliberal self-improvement rhetoric encouraged individuals to believe that personal confidence and willpower could overcome systemic and societal barriers. Researchers have debunked the notion that positive thinking alone can fix structural inequalities. A persistent internal tension exists between believing in boundless personal agency and recognizing that individuals are not solely responsible for every failure. Augustine described humility as the fundamental virtue, repeating that humility should occupy every part of spiritual seeking. Humility, reframed without shame, was defined as being proud of abilities while acknowledging continued need for learning. Multiple kinds of humility include cultural, intergenerational, intellectual, knowledge, skill, and wisdom humility.

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