R’ Ruderman Zatzal said that his greatness came to him because the Alter of Slabodka Zatzal kept telling him that “he’s the next Rabbi Akiva Eiger”, and he believed him. Two factors: 1) He was continuously encouraged to greatness, 2) He believed the Alter Zatzal! When people work on Gadlus HaAdam they need to be told that the praises they get in life are: שְּכ ינָהֶּמְּדַב ר ת sent from Hashem through the mouth of this person. Just like Dovid said about Shim'i ben Gera’s curses: כ יֶּה'ֶּאָמַרֶּלוֶֹּקַלֵּלֶֶּּש"בֶֶּּטזֶֶּּי Hashem sent him to curse me. But most people are always skeptical, and therefore it remains a cute joke when a friend calls you a Gaon or Tzaddik or Rash'kebe'hag.
My Rebbe, R' Ozer Schwartz Zatzal told me: תֻׁמַתֶּיְּשָר יםֶּתַנְּחֵּםֶֶּּ משליֶּ יאֶּ ג the Temimus of the straight ones guides them. If you are a Tamim like: יַעֲקֹּבֶּא ישֶּתָםֶּ Yaakov, the Ish Tam, נֹּחֶַּצַד יקֶֶּּ תָמ ים Noach, the Tzadik Tamim, and א יוֹבֶּתָםֶּוְּיָשָר Iyov, the Tam and Yashar, then you move. Notice how all three are praised with this Ma'ala, and the Chasidim say that it’s the #1 Ma'ala. Also, it needs constant repetition during your Mussar Seder, like R' Yerucham Zatzal said, that a person must constantly repeat during Mussar ב שְּב יל יֶּנ בְּרָאֶּ הָעוֹלָםֶֶּּסנהדריןֶּ לזֶּ א “The entire universe was created just for ME”, with a Niggun.
If you take Gadlus HaAdam seriously, you get Gevaldige Schar since the Yetzer makes you feel stupid and queer, like a foolish Baal Ga’ava and a liar. You should realize that this is the greatest and hardest Shviras HaMiddos, i.e., to go to the extreme opposite of the Shiflus’dik mentality of our Dor who are plagued with unending reminders of guilt and their sins and mistakes, and perpetual admiration only for others but not for yourself.
