To Make you feel proud?
There’s a song with that line – I’ve heard it so many times that it’s become background noise, something I hum along to without really hearing the words. But today, for whatever reason, it caught my attention. It made me pause and actually ask myself the question properly. And what surprised me wasn’t that I struggled to answer it… it was that my answer was, erm… nothing.
Not because I’d done nothing today. I had been busy, some might say productive even however, I hadn’t taken a single moment to acknowledge myself. Instead, I noticed how easily my pride flows outward. I felt proud of my son, of the person he’s becoming. Proud of my husband and the way he is just incredible at whatever he sets his mind to. Proud of my clients for their courage, their progress, their willingness to keep going.
I even felt proud of my dog (he didn’t bark at the husky he has beef with), which says a lot about where my emotional bar is some days. But when it came to me, I skipped right past it.
And yet pride in ourselves is not optional..it’s foundational. It’s how we learn our own worth rather than waiting for it to be reflected back at us through other people. It’s how value stops being something external and starts feeling anchored. It’s closely tied to purpose too, because when you never acknowledge yourself, it becomes very hard to believe that what you do actually matters.
I think many of us are far more comfortable feeling proud of ourselves than in ourselves.
We’ve learned that pride is acceptable when it’s attached to someone else’s achievements or when it’s earned through usefulness. We celebrate ourselves indirectly, through our children, our partners, our clients, our teams. But turning that same lens inward can feel uncomfortable, even self-indulgent, as if noticing ourselves somehow tips into arrogance. It doesn’t. It’s simply awareness.
Pride doesn’t have to come from headline moments or big, visible wins. Sometimes it does, of course. Sometimes it’s about making a brave decision, having a hard conversation, choosing a path that feels scary but right. But more often than not, it lives in the smaller, quieter moments. The ones no one else sees. Getting through a heavy day without collapsing into it. Sending the message you’ve been avoiding. Holding a boundary. Resting when you’d usually push. Continuing, even when you feel flat or uncertain.
I’m saying that none of that needs an audience but it does need acknowledgement.
So if you’re struggling to answer that question today try asking yourself something slightly different. What did you show up for? What did you handle without drama? Or, even (in my case) What didn’t knock you over, even though it could have?
Pride lives in the cracks too.
Maybe tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever you remember, allow yourself to be included in your own story of pride.
If you struggle with this topic, it’s good to start with writing things down