If goodwill is an asset, humility should be, too

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." What a punch in the gut by Einstein.

This is revealed to me by Stacey Edgar, the mind and heart behind Global Girlfriend, one of the largest U.S.-based fair trade importers of apparel and handicrafts. The chapter that begins with this quote is titled "Believe." This core of this chapter is the story of Global Girlfriend's entry to Whole Foods.

I spoke to Stacey by phone for an interview when I was writing a study on U.S. jewelry market, and hers was one of the most comforting and humble (thus inspiring) voices that I've ever listened to.

Nancy, who now comforts me through crises and uncertainties, tirelessly reminds me that my modesty combined with other qualities that she claims I have will get me far in life. Truth be told, this is tough for me to hear. Humility is one quality that you cannot claim you have; once you do, it fades a little.

Kate and I talked about humility over wine, and about how entrepreneurs, along with hubris, struggle with humility when they expose their ideas to others. We think that trust is a key supporter to this particular process. When an entrepreneur takes the stage to share her idea to a panel of investors or a group of colleagues, humility is tested. When she does it to get feedback, she needs to trust that the audience have her best interest, regardless whether or not the assumption is valid; otherwise, feedback meets defensive comments. With my inexperience, I am not sure if speaking to a panel of investors is simply and solely about defending your idea. Is there room for vulnerability? Should one think that there may be an investor (or two) who sees character over ideas or prospects?

Perhaps it takes humility to believe in miracles, in job creation or youth empowerment. If one was to monetize humility in my venture, I wish to put it as the most valuable asset on my venture's balance sheet. This gets me to think about the humility of my team, who practically are my co-founders. Logically, companies should grow their assets and generate returns with them. How I should live my life should be how my venture should grow. Because I believe, 'will' replaces 'should'.