Ever feeling like you can't acknowledge or own your success? Ever feel like you can't accept compliments given to you from others? Ever feel like you shouldn't have pride or else you'll just be a self-worshipping prick? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this article is for you.
For some of us, being humble has become such a saint-like way of being that it almost gets demonized when someone isn't being that way. We live with this idea that to have pride is to be too prideful, so we naturally (and subconsciously) associate being humble and having humility as having zero pride. Because of this lack of pride, we act small and "humbly" decline the acknowledgements, the compliments, the credit, and ultimately our own worth - not noticing the damage we're inflicting onto ourselves.
But what if we were to stop living in such a black and white world and were able to both have pride AND still be humble? What if we found the success that exist in our lives and just acknowledged them enough to color them in without either shading in our whole life or keeping it completely blank? I'd consider that a much more colorful world.
PRACTICE:
I've been doing this practice called April Acknowledgements, where I share 10 things that I acknowledge myself for that day. Reason being:
1) To give myself credit for my wins and my effort, no matter how big or small
2) To shift my focus away from the negativity that happens to me and become aware of the positivity within my life that I create for myself
3) To show that I can accept my greatness without the guilt of feeling like my ego will consume me
4) To be kind to the person I've resented, neglected, and bullied the most...myself
I want to challenge you to do the same thing for yourself. Every night, look back at your day and acknowledge yourself for 10 things that you did. Do this for a few days or even a few weeks. It could be anything small (making the bed, eating breakfast, smiling, drinking enough water) or it could be anything big (asking your crush on a date, getting a raise at work, making a difference in someone's life). Even making it through the day by itself is a win that you can acknowledge yourself for.
*Flipping 180° from disowning your success to being proud of it is a HUGE leap. In no way am I saying that acknowledging your success means you have to be proud of it right away. Just simply notice it and accept it's existence, then go on from there.*
Last but not least - I want to acknowledge you for stopping by, for reading up to this point, and for existing. Now...what would you like to acknowledge yourself for?