Can you spit out an answer right off the top of your head? Or do you need more time to think about it?
I recently was asked this question in an e-mail and drew a complete blank! So much so that I closed my laptop and stepped away for a few hours, racking my brain to come up with an answer, all the while realizing this was a problem. No one should have this much difficulty feeling proud of themselves. I even Googled "things people are proud of" in hopes I would find a connection. Something that triggered by brain and made me say, "Hey, I'm proud of that too!"
A few hours later I sat down and opened the laptop back up. I started to form my reply, but deleted what I wrote when I realized I was talking about stupid things, like being proud of my Bulldog for knowing how to skateboard. Or about other people I am proud of and not myself. Again, I realize this is a problem. I don't hesitate when it comes to supporting and praising other people (or dogs), but when it comes to myself, I'm silent. That needs to change. And so the internal dialog began...
So what am I proud of? While part of me is sadden that I struggle answering, another part of me is happy that I do struggle because that means I remain humble. Neither of my parents have ever told me they were proud of me for anything. As a kid, and even as an adult, you look for that approval. And as a son, you need to hear it mostly from your Dad.
I may never hear the words "I am proud of you." I accept that. In fact, I embrace that because it has led me to be fiercely competitive in everything I do from sports to business. Seeking that approval has caused me to push myself far beyond my expectations and has opened up a world of limitlessness to me that I don't think I could have seen had I not ached for their approval. I've come to realize that the opinions of others doesn't make you or break you. It is only the opinion of myself, making myself proud that matters. That is what I'm proud of - that realization.
What are you proud of?
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