How does humility fit in with swagger?

Swagger, as I define it, is the physiology associated with how you carry yourself in your best moments. Moments when you are connected with your true self, using your gifts, doing what you love, often leads to that swagger.

Don’t confuse swagger with pride. Swagger is the confidence that you can connect with the powerful energy of passion, purpose, and poise. Pride is, in our discussion, the false bravado that comes when the ego says, "look at me."
What we want, of course, is to have a swagger even when things aren’t going so well. It’s human nature to be confident when we “succeed” and not so when we “fail.” (I put quotes around succeed and fail because those are black and white labels that don’t necessarily describe the whole picture). Who doesn’t feel less confident when they’ve just lost a few games in a row?

It may help to realize that the swagger I speak of is not so much confidence in yourself, but more so confidence that you can connect with energy beyond yourself. As I said, our own energy often just reacts to circumstances, but there is always confidence, peace, joy, and opportunity in every moment, however we label that moment. We just need to connect with it.

Ironically, connecting with your true self also connects you with powerful energy outside yourself. That’s why having a purpose beyond your own needs and desires is one of the most powerful things you can do.

Thus humility and gratitude play a huge role in having a swagger. Pride easily leads to self-consciousness (and vice-versa), whereas swagger leads to humility and gratitude, and vice versa.

When you’re grateful, you see more opportunities, which leads to faith and confidence. With a broader vision, we become humble as we see the beauty and greatness around us, beauty that was perhaps a little covered up in our self-conscious past.