Being proud of yourself is essential to enjoying mental and emotional health. But how to do it? We talk about it in this article.
Last update: December 24, 2020
Are you proud of yourself? If the answer is no, do you at least think that it is positive? There are those who think that being proud of oneself is an act of vanity, a characteristic of self-centered or selfish people. However, it is one of the essential habits for achieving optimal emotional health. And let's talk about habit because, in many cases, succeeding is a matter of perseverance.
The most natural and healthy thing would be for all of us to feel happy and satisfied with ourselves. But unfortunately, we live in an unfavorable environment. It is true that we grow up in individualistic and competitive societies that apparently promote personal empowerment, but the reality is quite different, as we are loaded with external expectations that prevent us from accepting and valuing ourselves in a genuine way.
For this reason, it is up to each person to rediscover the priceless unconditional love for themselves and persevere to become who you really want to be.
Being proud of yourself is extremely beneficial for the individual as well as for his or her relationships. And we never forget that our biggest life plan is to be ourselves.
Why is it so important to be proud of yourself?
Being proud of yourself doesn't mean developing a narcissistic or vain personality. Nor to belittle others or to pretend to occupy a higher position than the next. On the contrary, feeling good about yourself allows you to establish healthy relationships, but with some more advantages:
- When you are proud of yourself, you don't feel the need for external confirmation. This ensures that you do not depend on the approval of others. And this allows you to freely choose your life path without putting aside your needs and desires to please others.
- Those who are proud of themselves neither allow nor tolerate aggression or disrespect towards you. Personal pride is closely related to self-esteem. Therefore, when you know your worth, it is much easier to set boundaries and lose the fear of rejection or abandonment.
- Personal pride motivates you to persevere, even in the presence of short-term obstacles or costs.
- Those who are truly satisfied with themselves enter a state of inner fulfillment which can never come from outside. No flattery or all the love in the world can fill the void of those who are not comfortable with themselves.
How to be proud of yourself?
Because of their childhood education, some capable people are able to feel proud of themselves naturally. For others, it's not as easy and requires a lot of personal work and a good deal of daily commitment. However, following these simple tips will help start a journey of personal fulfillment.
- Discover your personal virtues and qualities, value them and get used to always taking them into consideration. But not only that, get into the habit of celebrating them, sharing them and showing them shamelessly. Celebrate your achievements and talents without falling into the mistake of negative humility. It is good to learn to recognize and be grateful for your gifts.
- Accept your flaws, mistakes and points that you feel you need to improve. To be truly proud of yourself you need to know yourself thoroughly and face your shadows. This does not mean hiding behind an “I am like this” to maintain dysfunctional attitudes or behaviors. On the contrary, it is the ideal starting point to start working on yourself with unconditional love and without rejecting your dark areas.
- Practice these tips whenever you can. To be proud of yourself, it is essential to prioritize yourself. Therefore, take into account your opinions, needs and goals, begin to value them, even if you have never done it before, even if you are afraid that others will get angry. Being true to yourself is the path to personal pride.
To conclude
To be proud of yourself you don't have to be perfect. You just have to allow yourself to advance more every day to pursue your goals on your own terms. When in doubt about which decision to make, always choose the one that makes you feel proud of yourself, the one that helps you shape the person you want to be. On the other hand, your life project is you.
