All too often the word ‘pride’ is mis-categorized and seen as a negative characteristic. Sure there are times when pride can be viewed as negative but it’s because of that very reason that we can view pride as positive as well.
This past week, I posted a question to many of my friends and their responses were all the same. The question was – ‘When was the last time you told your child you were proud of them?‘ Can you remember the last time? Can you recall when your parents mentioned they were proud of you? Does it matter?
First and foremost it most certainly matters! The sense of pride gives the individual the will power and strength within them to conquer ahead; to move on against all odds. Consider the marathon runner that is ready to give up from the pain and anguish, but when he looks up he hears the cheers and applause from the crowd giving him the sense of pride of his accomplishments. Or the child that is working diligently at writing his name and finally accomplishes the task at looks to you, the parent for approval and praise. In those examples the sense of pride is palpable. The sense of pride that one seeks or is given is one that will encourage them to move forward.
As individuals we all seek some sense of pride, whether it is from our parents, our co-workers, our superiors, our family members and most importantly ourselves. Yes, ourselves! We tend to be our own worse critics and when we allow ourselves to accept praise when then seem to either become more critical or are unable to accept it at all. Of course, pride can be negative when someone has an air of arrogance but that is not what we are focusing on today. Today we focus on the positive and greatness that showing pride in others and giving or accepting praise does for you.
Praising your children boosts their self-esteem and pushes them to achieve greatness. Praising those around you shows your true appreciation for them. Receiving praise is healthy and should be viewed as a gift and not one to let inflate your ego. Only then will it be viewed as negative and again we are focusing on the positive nature of the word and meaning.
So your task for today and the rest of the week is to focus on the positive nature of the meaning of pride. Be generous with your praises as they are needed by many especially our children. Observe their reactions and how their entire mood and personality will change with the use of 5 simple words – ‘I am proud of you’. Not only will they feel encouraged to continue but you will feel a sense of pride as well because your simple words helped to make someone else’s day a great one! This is when pride is good!
