Pride Has Many Faces

We all have our stories and demons that we deal with on a daily basis. Some of us have had things fairly easy while some of us have had it very difficult...of course, this is just stating the obvious. My point is: If you are here, and you find yourself to be a decent person despite things you have been through, despite following your path in a world of people that only care about themselves and don't mind stomping their boots in your back just because they think they are better than you...then you, my friend, should be proud of yourself. I am proud of myself... Damn right I am proud of myself.

I know the hell that I have survived and I know some you have survived your own personal hell. How awesome is it that we can be here to share our experiences and to learn from each other?! I am very proud of that and I don't mean that in a smug way. I am proud of the fact that I have gone outside of my comfort zone to share; which led to meeting beautiful souls that bless my life each and every day. I am proud and at the same time extremely humbled.

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There's another side to this Pride thing

"Remember, when the peacock struts his stuff he shows his backside to half of the world" ~ Herve Wiener

We've all come across those "Peacock Proud" people. They're so proud of themselves that they can't see past their own nose. You are beneath them and nothing you will ever accomplish will hold a candle to their achievements. I'd like to tell you about my wonderful brother. I'm sure I've mentioned him a time or two. He and I are only 11 months apart and he is older than me. He's the perfect human specimen and I am the misfit. He has owned and operated his own A/C and Heating Company for ten years now. He's struggled from day one; he's not dependable, he makes appointments and promises that he can't keep. He is so proud of himself for how far he's come... but wait, his business is failing, he can never seem to get paid on completed jobs, now he has to get a job working for someone else.

I had a conversation with him the other day and he made a comment that made me pull the phone away from my ear and look at it with my mouth agape and I know I had this confused look on my face. He was telling me about some things he had been reading lately about meditation and bringing yourself to a higher level (he sounded like a douche) but then he says "I wish I wasn't so intelligent, I wish I was stupid like everyone else."..... HUH???? I was speechless. My big "Proud Peacock" brother has no idea that I am very close to cutting ties. A little humility will go a long way, remember that.

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Foolish Pride is a common thing

"All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride." ~ Sophocles

Have you ever had one of those moments when you knew that you were wrong in your choice of actions or words but your pride got in the way of allowing you to admit that you were wrong? Yeah, so have I. We are only human after all. This can't become common practice. Foolish pride can be detrimental to yourself and your relationships. We all make mistakes, but you have to learn from those mistakes in order to grow. Don't let your pride get in the way of learning and growing to become a kick-ass human being. If you are constantly making the same choices, the same mistakes over and over again, and expecting different results...that's just insane.

Know that if you are not making mistakes then you are not trying. Let go of your pride when you make a mistake and learn something from them... when you do, they turn into life lessons. Don't let your pride keep you from learning and growing.

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_^Source

Pride in others is the best thing

" We are a community family like no other. My heart beams with pride for each and every one of you." ~ Monch

It's not cool to be successful these days. In today's society the common thing is jealousy and a desire to knock others down for another person's selfish personal gain. It's a dog eat dog world and the practice of raising people up is a rare one. Humans are complex and interesting creatures and they have discovered and invented amazing things and continue to do so. We should all have a sense of pride for the achievements of our fellow humans; those humans that go against the grain and think outside of the box. Not all ideas are brilliant but the people thinking up those ideas usually are. It reminds me of a particular group of people that I have recently gotten to know.

A message to my BuddyUP family...

I have always been very skeptical when it comes to people. A couple of months have passed since becoming a member of the BuddyUP Community and y'all have started to restore my faith in humanity. I am in awe of the people I've met and the uniquely awesome personalities that each of you have. I have watched you grow and I can not express how excited I am to see what this family will accomplish together. We are a community family like no other. My heart beams with pride for each and every one of you. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all. In my eyes, you are all rock stars!! Now I'm going to have to go buy some sunglasses because the future sure does look bright!!

This has been my Drop In The Ocean post about Pride for the awesome BuddyUP Community.

Thanks for stopping by y'all!