“Pride” is a sticky notion we all know about. It’s the kind of emotion we all want to instill in the people around us. There’s not much else that feels as good as hearing, “I’m proud of you” from someone you love. But what about, “I’m so proud of myself”? Have you heard that one before?
In our world, success is expected. Ambition is preferred. Outcomes are needed. It almost seems as though you can’t live a fulfilling life unless you achieve. The more things you accomplish, the better. Society has taught us not to settle, which often leaves us with a lingering sense of underachievement. We can always do better. We can always do more. And my question for you is: has this not blurred our notion of what we deserve?
Having grown up in a society where achievement is a must, moments where you accomplish milestones, and complete goals can almost feel unsatisfying. It almost seems as though you can’t celebrate your merits because there’s a cranky little voice in the back of your head telling you it was “your obligation.”
Of course, not everyone thinks this way. I’m sure there are people out there who are proud of their victories (as they should be). But to those of us who struggle with giving ourselves credit for the effort and work we put into the things we do, how can we regain our sense of personal pride?
The thing about pride is it’s buildable. It’s time to hold on to the remnants you feel and stop giving them a mere passing glance.
Yet I am no fool, I know being proud of yourself is not that easy. You can’t just look pride in the eye; when you believe your accomplishments aren’t successes more than they’re obligations, how do you reconnect with excitement?Â
Because maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s excitement that’s been lost. Excitement for jobs, careers, lives. Maybe all this time what we’ve done is build a society that wants rather than cares.Â
In a situation like this, the best thing you can do is seek out what truly matters to you. Identify your priorities and dreams — not the ones shaped by expectation, but the ones that genuinely mean something to you. Find the right kind of ambition, the kind that leads you to places you want to be, not just where you think you should be.Â
However, the truth is being proud of yourself starts not only with knowing what you want, but liking who you are.Â
At the end of the day, pride is about recognizing one’s worth. It’s about looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing that the person who’s looking back at you deserves your love and attention. It’s about knowing you matter.Â
Pride isn’t perfection, no matter how much you try convincing yourself that you will only be proud of who you are once you achieve everything you want to accomplish. Pride is about valuing every little effort you make and giving yourself room not only to succeed, but to fail and still feel okay with the outcome.Â
Allow yourself to be you, and pride will come knocking on your door.