Are you proud of yourself?

Me? Proud of myself? Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. Or would I? Yes, I would. You can, you may, and you should, too. Absolutely.

And now, be honest: What did you just answer when you asked yourself that question? Did something great come to mind right away? Or even better: lots of great things? Fantastic. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.

Couldn't think of anything? Don't worry—most people have a hard time feeling proud of themselves. You're not alone.

I’ve been wondering why we tend to think of things that went wrong, that embarrass us, or that annoy us. Why do we almost exclusively recall negative experiences from our lives, and why do we tend to think poorly of ourselves? Why don’t we allow ourselves to be proud of who we are?

Well, because that’s how we were taught. It’s a bit like praising yourself. And, as we all know, self-praise stinks. What a load of rubbish. Self-praise is right, and it’s incredibly important too.

And because at some point, we stop allowing ourselves to be proud of who we are. From childhood on, we were told what we weren’t good at, where we needed to try harder, and where we had ground to make up. We’ve come to focus solely on the negative. Just like the people around us.

We’ve come to focus solely on the negative. Many people don’t even notice praise and compliments anymore. Or they dismiss them as ‘nothing special’. Can you accept praise and compliments? And are you proud of yourself? Do you allow yourself to be proud of yourself?

So, start today. Every night before you go to sleep, ask yourself: What made me proud today? You can’t go to sleep until you’ve done that 😉