I have to say I’m a little tired of people being afraid of some pride in themselves, what they do or accomplish or have that’s unique about them.
“Pride goeth before a fall," commonly used. Dislike it immensely. In truth, "everything goeth before a fall."
Stems from people having a need for control, that if they abide by that dictum somehow their life will be less filled with failure, or the impact from it. Bah. Life is failure, life is challenge, life is wondrous. It is in our nature to fail, we wouldn’t have natural adaptation to counter such, from physiological pharmacy to heuristic pathways to psychological mechanisms (good or bad) to deal with it effectively and - (are you ready for this?) - grow.
Unreasonable self-esteem and arrogance are completely a different subject, to which I say, “the unfounded shall not be purveyed”. Kind of like that one, yep, there goes some of that pride again.
Enjoying what you do, sharing with others because it is simply an honest and joyful expression of yourself, should not be looked upon as arrogance or unreasonable. I have found a very few people look at me and some of the things I “share” and insist I’m a bit cocky about the material. They are people who don’t know me. It is never about me, it’s always about the material I am sharing or expressing.
Now, I have to admit, there are times when I’ve poked and prodded people in my playful manner, and I disguise it as cocky, but that is purely an effort to stimulate challenge in those around me to better themselves. I sometimes really love doing that (challenging others to better). And you know what? For the most part it works. I have watched people rise and meet the challenge and go way beyond their complacency to achieve things, build character, etc. I. Love. That. I cannot think of a better compliment than someone telling you, “you inspired me" whether it extended from me "acting" cocky or just expressing myself truthfully.
Believe me, being in the self-defense arena for nearly 30 years, and teaching hundreds of people for over 10, gives me a somewhat unique perspective on dealing with egos and unfounded pride. Whew, even the thought of it is exhausting. It forced me to come up with my motto ten years ago: "CoreJKD exists for the growth of the individual, it is an experience for exceeding your own personal limits - and not for conquering the limits of others." That pretty much sums up my experience with people and life (just substitute "life" for CoreJKD" and you'll see what I mean, heck, you might even agree with me a little). Through our own honest growth and expression, we tend to inspire people somewhere along the line.
Playing it safe, makes you part of the stream. Taking risk, pushing limits - and being freakin happy about what you’ve accomplished (yeah, proud), makes you the director of the stream, able to change the shape of the landscape, and reach out to feed green life where you have never been before.
Inspiration comes from expression, first within us, then outward from us. Pride doesn't have to be bold and blathering, but one shouldn't shy away from it either. False modesty sucks and merely invites more patting on the back and assurances, just a subtle form of manipulation and dishonesty. When I am proud of something, it's as though I am looking at it from outside myself, I honestly don't connect myself to it like one would think. I am as happy and charged about it as if it had come from someone else.
"Pride goeth before a fall" is for a group of "safers". On the other side of it, if we are proud and do fall, so what? That's life. It doesn't require an arrogant soul, just one who pushes their own boundaries and isn't quite afraid to admit they did something honest.
