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Today you will have an opportunity to continue to work on pride as an obstacle to success. One of the hardest things to do is swallow your pride. On the other hand, if you can manage to do it, you will see terrific results—and it’s non-fattening!
Make a list of the times that you have had to swallow your pride. Write extensively about one of your experiences. Next, make a list of future opportunities you might have to swallow your pride and then detail the positive things that might come out of taking that action.
At ninety years old, Leroy knew that he was no longer a good driver. He still had a valid license, but his eyesight had gone bad, and he wasn’t as quick to react to hazardous driving conditions as he used to be. It was a very difficult task, but Leroy finally swallowed his pride and admitted to his daughter that he didn’t think he should drive anymore. It felt like defeat at first, but Leroy’s daughter was impressed with his ability to acknowledge the fact that things had changed. She was proud of him for being strong enough to do the right thing. As it turned out, Leroy’s daughter took the time to drive him where he needed to go, and their relationship deepened when they had more time to spend together in the car.
Swallowing your pride is not a failure. It can be an example of strength of character. Learn to swallow your pride occasionally—it’s non-fattening!
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Sometimes a little bit of pride isn’t such a bad thing. Vicki was out of a job and looking for work. She finally swallowed her pride and went to a local shelter where they were handing out gently used clothes in addition to a hot meal. Other women were snatching up as many items as they could carry, but Vicki only took one thing: a navy suit that would give her a professional appearance as she interviewed for new jobs. Vicki needed clothes badly, but she took less than what she needed in order to leave some clothes for other women. Her pride in this case turned into an act of generosity.
Two years later, Vicki went back to that shelter. The blue suit had helped her to land a respectable job at a local firm. She had worked hard, learned everything she could about the business, and had eventually built her way up to a lower management position. Vicki was successful, but she still didn’t have a lot of clothes. She kept barely what she needed to get by and then bought new clothes to give to the shelter that had helped her when she was in need. Vicki also volunteered at the shelter, cooking meals three times a week. She had become a success, and her generosity increased right along with her achievements.
Your assignment today is to give more than you can and take less than you need. Think of others before yourself. You will soon see that a big dose of generosity and a small dose of pride are very useful tools to help you achieve your dreams.
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Take a look at the quote above and write in your journal for at least thirty minutes about your thoughts on it. Create your own definition of pride and your own definition of humility, and journal about the advantages and disadvantages of each. Try to keep your pen moving at all times to allow your stream-of-consciousness thinking to ramble on without censorship. When you are finished, read through what you wrote. What were some of the major themes?
Let’s take a look at pride first. How does pride make you artificial? Do you believe when you are full of pride that you have an accurate view of yourself? It may be possible that you give yourself a little too much credit when you are in a prideful state of mind. Some people would define pride as healthy self-respect, while others consider it to be an overly high opinion of oneself. How do you define pride?
Now, let’s take a look at humility. Many definitions of the word are not flattering. Humility is sometimes equated with meekness, lowliness, and having a submissive nature. That doesn’t sound like someone who is reaching for success. Another definition of humility is lacking false pride or having modesty. Those might be useful traits. In the quote above, Thomas Merton says humility makes us real. Humility could simply be an acceptance of your shortcomings. No one is perfect. There may be advantages to being humble. Use your definitions of these words today to help shape your self awareness and move you along the road to success.
