Before the battle of Kurukshetra, both Kauravas and Pandavas were sending messengers to other kings for support. To canvass Sri Krishna's support, Duryodhana went to Dvaraka. By chance, Arjuna too went to Dvaraka the same day.
When the two went to meet Sri Krishna, he was sleeping. The arrogant Duryodhana sat on a magnificent chair kept towards Sri Krishna's head. When Arjuna entered, he folded his hands in salutation and humbly stood towards Sri Krishna's feet. Due to this, when Sri Krishna awoke, he saw Arjuna first.
Duryodhana said, "You should come to my aid in this battle. Your friendship with me and Arjuna is equal. Today, I have come to you first. From ancient times, the virtuous serve those who arrive first." Sri Krishna replied, "No doubt, you arrived earlier. But I saw Dhananjaya first. Since you arrived first and since I saw him first, I will help both of you. It has been said that the younger one should have the first choice. Therefore, I will offer the first choice to Arjuna. My army of cowherds are experienced warriors, equal to me in strength. They will be on one side. I will not bear weapons and will not fight in the battle. I will be on the other side. Let Arjuna choose."
Arjuna chose Sri Krishna and the rest is history, or rather mythology. Even though Duryodhana approached Sri Krishna first, he missed out on the chance to choose first because of his arrogance. Arjuna, on the other hand, gained this advantage because of his humility.
It is generally believed that those who blow their trumpet the loudest get the most attention. While that may be true, evidence from studies done in the corporate world shows that the higher you climb in the corporate hierarchy, the more important the quality of humility becomes.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has cited humility as his top sign of true intelligence. A famous example of a humble person becoming a winner is Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He wins the factory due to his humility while the other four children, lacking this quality, face painful consequences.
Humility is not meekness or weakness. It is also not being submissive. It is an attitude of modesty arising from understanding our place in the larger scheme of things. Humility means seeing ourselves accurately - neither too high nor too low than is right.
It is difficult for an arrogant person to improve themselves but much easier for a humble person to have a growth mindset. A humble student who is open to feedback can often overtake a student who may be naturally more gifted but arrogant and thus closed to feedback.