Fit in the City - Leigh Ann Root
Pride.
Are you a proud person? Do you have pride in yourself? Are you proud of your children? Do you take pride in your work, in your community or in your home? How do you describe proud? What exactly is pride? To be proud is defined as: Marked by extraordinary elegance, beauty, and splendor. It's also defined as overly convinced of one's own superiority and importance. To me both of these definitions are extreme. I believe the real definition lies between the two. I believe you can lack pride and you can also have too much. Both can be damaging to a person. My definition of personal pride is when you honor who you are by taking care of yourself, being true to your beliefs and living the best life possible for you. It's a celebration of oneself that radiates from within.
In order to live your life to the fullest, you must first be proud of who you are, what you stand for, how you relate to others, basically the way you live your life. This relates to many things; Taking pride in your family, your work, your health, your existence, is a good place to start. This means taking responsibility for your life, your actions, your past, present and future. This doesn't mean living in the past, being too busy for the present, or worrying about the future. It's about accepting yourself including both mistakes and accomplishments of the past, living in the present moments of your life, and building toward a productive and healthy future.
Taking pride in your physical being is undeniably important. Self esteem is effected so much by this. Exercise, eating healthy, get proper rest and having a positive attitude is how you take care of your physical health. All of it! It one aspect is off, your health is off balance. And only you can control it! You can't buy it, borrow it or steal it. By living in a healthy body, you will go through your life with less obstacles. Many people have gigantic lists of problems, all associated with their physical health, simply because they have made the unhealthy lifestyle choices. Being unhealthy touches every part of your life and the lives of those around you. It may hold you back, alter your attitude, or not allow you to participate in life the way you should. This creates regret. Now, let's not confuse healthy living with not living. It's about moderation. I'm all for enjoying the "good things" life has to offer. But people must balance this with an overall sense of well-being. You have to consciously and constantly have your healthy life in balance. This is not rocket science, it's common sense. People get into unhealthy lifestyles because they're "bad" is outweighing their "good".
Being proud of where you live says a lot about who you are. If you're always looking for the good it will appear. If you're always in search of what is wrong, you'll inevitably find it. Fault is easy to find in others and in situations. But some cannot see it when it's right in their own mirror. We see what we want to see. It's about an attitude change or possibility a location change. But it can be solved by change. If people are quick and able to point out problems, then they're probably savvy enough to help fix them. Be proud of where you live by being a part of the solution to problems facing your community. Plant your "positive actions" where you live and watch the grass get greener.
Being proud of your children and your family is crucial to their development and your healthy home life. Everybody needs encouragement and kudos. People need and want to be noticed for their achievements and for who they are. Give some praise out every day, it will come back to you in many surprising ways.
Be proud of the work you do. This makes for a much happier life. Most people spend an enormous amount of time (too much) at their jobs. If a majority of this time is spent wishing you weren't there, than it's time to figure out a way to not be. No money in the world is worth being unhappy from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday! This negatively effects your personal health, your family's well-being and your overall quality of life.
And yes, of course, you can be TOO PROUD. Too proud to ask for help. Don't be, it's actual a sign of strength to recognize you are over your head sometimes. Some are too proud and too caught up in their lives completely that they miss out on other great people coming in and out of their lives. One of my favorite quotes goes like this, "If you are too wrapped up in yourself, you're overdressed". That says it all. Recognize if your ego is getting too big. You'll be able to notice this when you're dominating most conversations and you circle of friends becomes considerably smaller.
My main message today is, if you're not proud of who you are, you always have the ability to change this. A proud person enjoys a life full of many rewards. To know who you are and be proud of this is that life is all about. Always remember that your life doesn't only effect you. Also, praise those around you, help raise their self confidence. A proud person is a person who believes they are worthy!
