self pride is the best kind of pride

Why self-praise is so important for the nurturing of our soul

​I've spent the most part of my life seeking positive feedback and endorsement from other people, craving acknowledgement and appreciation from others, and would often be left in a cloud of self doubt when negative feedback came my way. My parents, my teachers, my lecturers, my bosses, my mentors - hearing them say they were proud of me meant the world. But what I didn't realise was how reliant I was on their feedback, how I simply could not cope with the opposite.


Image: Drawing Room Rocks, Berry, NSW South Coast
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In recent years I've done a lot to transform my life into one where I am 100% true to myself and that no matter what, I have my own back. Instead of beating myself up, I write it out in my journal, and find ways to learn from the 'downs' and enjoy the 'ups'. Motherhood also throws in the type of self doubt laced in guilt and can hit with a force doubly as hard. But only if you let it.

It hasn't been an easy road, but learning to look inwards (as opposed to looking to external forces) became a kind of magic elixir to help me through. There is no better feeling than the feeling of inner pride, being so genuinely proud of yourself that you could give yourself a big BEAR HUG (if that was actually possible!). The increasingly prevalent notion of 'self-care' is closely related to this concept.

So start with yourself, take a moment out of your day to sit with yourself with your eyes closed, notice how incredible it is that your breathing is injecting such life-force into your body, and use this to start learning just how amazing you are! Truly - it's that simple! Be happy for granting yourself a little space in your day to quieten your mind, and see if you can try it every day for a week. I do this before bed most nights, and I can honestly say there has never been a time that I have regretted it.