How to be proud of yourself

Every one of us has their own demons and struggles. Every one of us has a different story. And every one of us has different strengths and weaknesses.

Same, same but different

Yes, we are different! At a certain level, there are a lot of things that bring us humans together, but also everyone is unique. Even if sometimes on the outside it doesn’t seem like it but the fact is that everyone has a different story. Even if you think about twins… they will tell you different stories! They are not the same person (most of the twins I got to know, actually always were veeery different from each other).

So you agree with me, right? Every one of us has a different perspective and a different experience of life.

Why do you compare yourself with others?

Now to the point, I am building up to: Why do we compare us with others then??? How can you compare an elephant and a horse??? Sure you can try to compare them, but in the end, they are 2 totally different animals and both have different weaknesses and abilities! Get it?

So yes, you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone else. That just doesn’t make any sense. You had a different starting point, you had different experiences. Don’t try to talk yourself down in your mind just because you are not “as good” as another person.

We are all human, we have all flaws

Another aspect is, you might not even know what’s behind that person, they might have very big weaknesses, but you just don’t see them.

I think I made my point clear to not compare yourself with others! That’s one of the big hurdles that might stop you from being proud of yourself and having self-worth.

Feel inspired not less worth

Does this mean that you can’t look up to others? No, not at all. You should feel inspired by others. There are really great people out there that had a very difficult story and made the best out of it… those people are also inspiring to me. There are people trying to make the world a better place every day… those people inspire me. And there are very kind people that stayed kind even after going through some rough years and being surrounded by dickheads… those people inspire me.

Inspiration is a big thing for me and it can just be one specific thing about a person. And because you see how great that person is in that specific thing, you thrive to become as good or at least you try. Inspiration is a big drive in life for me.

So yes, be inspired by others but don’t compare yourself to their skills or whatever. Thrive to become as good, but don’t feel bad if you aren’t.

Learn to be proud of the little things

Now how can you be proud of yourself? Compare yourself with yourself and focus on the positive things!!! I think we all know that there is no perfect human being… No, there isn’t! We all have our flaws and with time we learn how to kinda control them… but certain flaws will always be there and that’s okay. What you should focus on are the strengths that you have and build on them. And see the little goals that you reach.

Let’s say you are afraid of talking in front of an audience (yes I know, I already made this example many times, but it works). Maybe this is something you don’t want to do at all, but somehow at work, you get chosen to make an internal presentation in front of 5 people. Let’s say the presentation goes okay, you get some positive feedback and also feedback on a lot of things you can improve. How would you feel? I guess most people would feel disappointed… and that’s not okay! You should be proud. You did something that you thought you would never be able to do and there are always things you can do better. So listen to both types of feedback and try to implement it in your next chance. That’s how you improve. And improving step by step is something you should be proud of!!!

Now let’s go back to my first point: you just presented in front of an audience of 5 people for the first time and now you start comparing yourself to a public speaker that speaks in front of 100s of people every week. Is that a fair comparison? Exactly, no.

There is so much to be proud of, you just have to learn to see it. And the thing is, once you see it, it also motivates you to keep going and improve eve more 🙂

So, if you feel down today, let me tell you that I am proud of you and you also should be (for reading this article :P)!!! And if you have the chance next time and you feel proud of someone else… tell them and make their day 🙂

Take ownership of your own life!
Quotes about ownership