PRINCIPLE II - Humility Before Honor

PROVERBS 18:12 - Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

Principles I & II go hand in hand. You really can't have one without the other. To remain humble welcomes one to approach their performance (i.e. their failures and achievements) with Reason. To be humble I've often found is to attain the Highest Virtue. It opens doors OR-so to speak- removes the blinders. Arrogance and Egotism are counter to this esteem Virtue known as Humility. Do not assess your own greatness. Instead merely perform. Disregard the notions of Others on what you are- or how great you are- and BE. Be humble. Especially in the face of adversity- and even more so when you have achieved any form of victory through that adversity.
What is Honor? Is it excellence? Achievement? Is it within One's Self or a construct of Others' Opinions on an Individual?

HUMILITY: A Modesty in Self-Estimation.

HONOR: Of High Esteem/Rank/Achievement/Fidelity.

So, to be of a modest self-estimation (Humility) may better lead one to achieve a rank of high esteem (Honor). It seems fitting.
Now, lets examine this within the realm of Athletics.
Humility is not a virtue leading to Success on the fields of Sport. Many a known Professional Sports Star appear to have little humility yet they may have attained Honorable Rankings on the field (i.e. MVPs, Championships, Awards, etc.). These rankings are considered Honorable but I would question this notion. HONOR, the kind in which I am seeking, is displayed in character. That character succeeds not for notoriety but because of something deep within themselves that yearns to excel.
So hold to this; Do Not Pursue Humility by Your Ambitions for Honor - Pursue Humility inorder to Excell and Advance.

As Stated Before; to be humble is to remove the blinders. Nothing is so confining to improvement so much as closemindedness. Closemindedness by Arrogance. Closemindedness by Egotism. Closedmindedness by Impatience. All of these do what? Limit one's own ability to improve. It reminds me of that Savvy Veteran Wide Receiver Catching a Touchdown and Acting like he has been there Before. Because he has. And because thinking it is essential. Showing off and Boasting makes improvement therafter far more difficult. Don't brag and boast. It is what it is and nothing more nor nothing less. But do not do this for how others will perceive you but instead for your own personal pursuit of Excellence. I run the route. I catch the Ball. I score the Touchdown. I am Victorious- to some degree- but only victorious in that moment. There are an infinite amount of moments/plays/executions still to come. I must take them one at time- ever being in the now but ever attempting to excel. The play was of High Quality but it was not perfect. There is no such thing as Perfect.