The role of pride in our lives

In our country, most people tend to see the word pride as something negative and a result fail to see the role it has to play in our lives. But pride plays an important role in how motivated we are in facing our daily challenges, how successful we can be and how healthy our self esteem would be.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines pride as, "A feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired." Whereas Wikitionary, the online English dictionary points out some other possible definitions of pride.

The definitions of pride from Wikitionary were:

1. The quality or state of being proud; inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, rank etc., which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve and often contempt of others.

2. (often with of or in) A sense of one's own worth , and abhorrence of what is beneath or unworthy of one; lofty self-respect ; noble self-esteem ; elevation of character; dignified bearing; proud delight; -- in a good sense.

The first definition as pointed out by Wikitionary is what many of us are used to. The negative side of pride which indeed can be very repulsive to any individual. This negative side has overshadowed the very essential good side of pride which is indispensable to anyone who aspires for success in his or her life.

I think better words for the negative side of pride would be inordinate self-esteem, arroganceand conceit. And they all connote an improper sense of self or a feeling of superiority over other people.

However, pride itself(in the positive sense) is good for everyone of us and we shouldn't sweep away the word entirely because it could mean arrogance.

Pride and self-worth

Pride in what you do is what motivates you to feel good about your passions or art and aspire for more. Without pride, you won't have a healthy self esteem. Having a sense of self-respect and self-worth keeps you aspiring for more. The good feeling, pleasure and satisfaction that comes from what you've done and what you've achieved is very essential fuel for more success.

The better you feel about yourself, the more you achieve and having pride in yourself and what you do helps you feel better.

In the name of humility, many people embrace a low self-esteem. They try to never feel good about what they're doing or what they've done, so that people won't see them as proud people. Some have tossed away all sense of pride because of what they've come to believe. But it doesn't really help them because that's not really humility. Humility is simply a quality of being respectful(or courteous) about others.

Haven't you noticed that those people who others may see as being proud of themselves are usually successful people? When you're feeling good about what you've been able to achieve or what you're doing, people will want you to stop feeling good and feel miserable like them. Lol. But as long as your sense of pride isn't unnecessary boastfulness or arrogance, you don't have to care about how people see your sense of self-respect. The good feeling is a catalyst for greater achievement.

Having a sense of pride isn't as bad as we often paint it. There's a catch though: having a good sense of pride isn't the same as feeling superior or looking down on other people. Feeling good about yourself and your achievements doesn't translate to bringing other people down or being cocky. It's about your personal attitude and one with a good sense of pride respects other people as well.

Humility

Being humble doesn't mean having a low self esteem. You could have a good sense of pride and still be humble. But you can't be arrogant and humble at the same time. Pride and humility can still go hand in hand, but pride and low self-esteem aren't friends.

Many people have low self-esteem and this is affecting their lives in a number of negative ways. The reason why they have a low esteem of themselves is simply because they're aren't deriving pride from the little things they do everyday and the ones they've done.

A builder should be proud that he was the one who built a remarkable building and he should always feel good about it anytime he sees it. A pilot should feel good about himself that he can fly a plane and that should boost his confidence in flying. A cleaner should be proud that she's the one keeping the environment of a company tidy and the cleanliness of the place should give her joy. A cook or chef should be proud of her culinary skills.

An engineer should feel proud of his creations in technology and a writer should feel good about his works. A soldier should be proud that he defends the country and he should feel good that he's privileged to serve his nation. An intelligent person should be proud that he's top of his class, it should boost his confidence in higher educational achievements(He shouldn't see others as ignoramuses and he should be willing to share his/her knowledge).

Whatever you do, take pride in it. Because pride is good for you and pride in what you do will motivate you to even do more.

We cannot underestimate the role of pride in our lives in the name of being humble. That feeling of satisfaction, self-worth and self-respect is very important for every one of us.

The whole point of writing this post is to eliminate that prevailing negative thought about pride and look at it from another perspective, so we can see the tremendous benefits of having a good sense of pride.

Thanks for reading.