Something you are proud of – that’s the task for today’s #LoveMe Challenge. I went to Catholic school and we were taught that pride is not a good thing. And that always bothered me because weren’t you supposed to take pride in your work? I heard that an awful lot from people growing up. Take pride in your work meant giving your best effort. Couldn’t being proud of yourself mean that you are giving the best effort at whatever it is that you were doing? Giving the best effort at being the best person you could be?
Enough philosophical rambling, I guess. I’m proud of how I have done whatever is possible to make myself a better human being. I’m proud of the fact that despite pop culture saying smart girls aren’t desirable, I didn’t try to hide my intelligence. I’m proud of the fact that I earned an academic scholarship to university. My parents barely graduated from high school so there was no expectation that I was going to college when I was growing up. I just knew that I needed to get more knowledge, try to learn how to do different things, and keep my mind active. Hell, I’m proud that I worked full-time and got my MBA going to school full-time simultaneously. That was a lot of work for two straight years. I was super proud to wear that graduation gown.
I’m proud of the fact that I’m not a dishonest person. Yes, I can be shy and not always able to share feelings with others face-to-face, but I’m never deceitful and hurt someone with lies. I’m proud of the fact that I can live and travel alone, take care of myself. I don’t need anyone to be there for me, but if you are there, I want you to be there. I’m proud of the fact that I finally learned to not always have to be right and to forgive people that really didn’t deserve to be forgiven – if only for my peace of mind. I’m proud of the fact that despite me not being perfect, I can remind myself that I’m still trying to be a good person most days (just don’t ask me that if I’m stuck in traffic – I’m never a good person behind the wheel)…
I’m proud of the fact that I’ve learned very early the value of money and hard work. I’m proud of the fact that I’m extraordinarily fiscally responsible. I pay off loans; I don’t borrow from my parents (not that they could afford to front me anything anyway); I don’t expect to be handed anything. I can honestly say that I’ve worked really hard for everything I have.
I’m proud of how I’m dealing with cancer, the phone call from the dermatologist, the excision, the recovery…I don’t use it as an excuse for bad behavior or to give me license to go off the deep end. I’ve been trying very hard to minimize the negative impact of this whole experience on other people. Heck, I didn’t even take off work to make sure that my team members could take time off for the holidays.
Do I have too much pride? Maybe. But I think it’s high time that we learn to be proud of the right things.