Focus on your accomplishments, not your failures. Count your blessings. Celebrate the life you’ve been given.
~T.D. Jakes Ministries ~
There are two types of pride we experience in our life pilgrimage. The first type of pride is ego driven and lacks capacity of humility. It is the pride that sets us up for our own downfall and eventual suffering. The second type of pride we experience is that which comes by hard work, gratitude, and attaining our desire goals in life. It is this latter type of pride we want to explore and share with the world. It is the pride that helps us maintain humility and integrity.
Taking pride in who we are, our meaning and purpose, and how we reach out and serve others is healthy and contributes to our overall happiness. It also keeps us focused on what matters to us – what we value as most significant and important – while learning from our failings. Without appreciation for our accomplishments, we may find ourselves wallowing in self-pity, remorse, and struggling to overcome the shame and guilt of our failures.
Founder and managing director of Instappy, Ambika Sharma, writes seven reasons we are to take pride in what we do:
- Build reputation on good work
- Improve everyday
- Embrace your status
- Presentation matters
- Participate in progress and give feedback
- Be a positive force
Personal pride in what we do and accomplish has a significant impact in how we relate to others. How we may be a powerful influence and participate in necessary progress and growth. As a writer, the challenge is to take pride in your own work. Adapting Sharma’s seven points, let us see how this may translate into the writer’s creative artwork and endeavors.
Build reputation on good writing
How does a writer build reputation on their work? According to Sharma, building one’s reputation requires taking ownership and be the best you can be – alert, lively, enthusiastic, knowledgeable by how passionate we are for learning and improving our creativity and expression of thought. Writer’s are communicators. We paint with words and through consistent discipline, we are willing to build our reputation on the work we put forth.
- What are those ideas you have that may bring a positive change in other’s lives?
- How engaging is your writing to the audience you are sharing information with?
- How do you take pride in your own writing style and voice?
- How do you translate your energy and passion in building a solid reputation where you continue to grow?
Our voice and style ought to be filled with the passion and energy that makes a significant impact in the lives of those who take the time to read.
Commit to daily improvement
As a writer, we have an investment where we work to create value in what is being communicated. This requires discipline and focus. Through our daily improvement of writing, we continue to build our reputation and embrace opportunities to grow. Take pride in what we’ve accomplished and continue to commit to daily disciplines to further explore, improve, and learn.
- What value do you see in your own writing?
- Where is your level of motivation and commitment to establish daily writing disciplines?
- How do you explore and learn in order to translate and share with others?
- How discipline are you in reading other works and writings?
One is not able to take pride in their work if there is no commitment to daily discipline of writing. This is a craft and a skill. The more we engage in, the greater the value and impact it has to build us up to be effective in how we share information with others.
Embrace your status as a writer
There is no value, motivation, and commitment if one is not able to embrace their status as a writer. This includes embracing that inner critic that seems to set us up for failure. What is our greatest value as writer’s? Ability to manipulate words in a manner to evoke and illicit prescribed emotional responses and attachments. By embracing our status as a writer, we shift our focus toward what is meaningful.
Regardless of one’s position, years of discipline in writing and crafting word pictures, a writer has a vital link within the community of other writers. This vital link recognizes the important work stories have in influencing society. And, because of this, our voice matters. How we write, what we share, and the work we do matters. If we fail to embrace our status as a writer – we fail to value craft and art of storytelling. We bar ourselves from making any significant contribution. We value more of what we may not have to contribute versus what we may have to make a significant contribution.
- Do you see yourself a valuable writer and contributor who communicates ideas and stories that make an impact?
- Do you believe your writing matters?
- How does your writing play a crucial role in shaping ideas and motivate change?
- Do you see yourself as a valued member of a community of fellow traveler’s and writers?
We either engage in honoring and taking pride in our work by embracing our calling as writers; or, we shrink back and lack the confidence of our talent and ability to make a significant contribution.
Presentation Matters
By taking pride in who we are – embracing our status as a writer – we give ourselves permission to present ourselves in the work we produce. Take pride in the message we are sharing through our writing. This is accomplished when we focus on the specific disciplines that helps us continue to improve our craft.
- Take pride in disciplining yourself through daily writing
- Take pride in how your thoughts, ideas, and words reflect your own personal values and beliefs
- Take pride in the message that is being shared through your writing
If your writing does not present your own personal values and beliefs, it is not a representation of the message you are wanting to send out. It is vitally important that our words, our stories, and the information we share represent our core values and beliefs. This goes back to how we build our reputation. Because, if we are sloppy in how we present our values and beliefs, our readers may go elsewhere for inspiration and experience.
Participate in progress and give feedback
A person may tend to think they are a lone wolf. An Island unto themselves. Part of embracing our status as a writer is also embracing the reality that we belong to a wonderful community of fellow traveler’s who have a passion to share their ideas, messages, and motivate change and inspiring lives. Participating in these communities help us solidify our craft and discipline.
We participate in the progress of growth, discipline, and encouragement where we give and receive appropriate feedback. We influence and empower one another to continue focusing on ways to further enhance our ability to craft genuine pieces of literature. Taking value in our sense of belonging in this type of community continues to provide us a means to take pride in our work.
When we come to realize that being a part of a community of other writers, we come to understand that all make a difference. A difference in how we shape our style and voice. A difference in how we relate to one another’s message. And, a difference in how we demonstrate our eye for detail to provide appropriate and healthy feedback.
The very fact that we have a voice is something each one of us is able to take pride in. This builds our sense of worth and freedom. It influences our ability to experience fun, and gain a sense of belonging. Through community, we sharpen one another and gain respect of other fellow travelers.
Be a positive force and influencer
The Pen truly is mightier than the sword as it is our main weapon to elicit and influence for the good. Some may use it to elicit and influence for the worse. However, when we take pride in understanding and embracing our status as a writer, build up our reputation, it increases our keen sense of being aware.
As a writer who engages in influencing society – we cultivate a healthy respect and value history, culture, and vision of what the future may hold. Take pride in our work as a positive motivation to elicit change, inspire growth, and challenge obstinate and negative information.
As a writer, our duty is to engage in building a positive force of change for those around us. We take pride in how we accomplish this.
Authentic pride is when you are pleased with what you’ve achieved through hard work. Hubristic pride is when you feel you’re fundamentally better than everyone else.
EriC Baker – The scientific benefits of pride – The Week
Taking Pride in self Writing Challenge Tips:
As with the previous weekly writing challenges: Take a moment to meditate and mindfully reflect on what ways you take pride in what you’ve accomplished. Focus on simple breathing techniques (if this is new for you) and allow yourself time to approach this challenge.
Set aside, at least, 15-20 minutes each day and follow these tips outlined below. When you are comfortable – begin writing. Here are 7 tips to effectively write each day on this topic:
- Be as specific as possible – To foster ways of honoring yourself, you want to focus on the specific details related to what you are grateful for.
- Go for depth over breadth – Dive deep into the details about how you engage in self-care, self-compassion, honesty, self-love, and forgiveness. Do not write in a superficial way. This requires some exploration rather than listing things
- Personalization – Focus those areas where you may need to improve. This will carry more weight and make a greater impact
- Subtract not Add – How will your life look differently without honoring yourself? Don’t just spend your time focusing on the good ways of honoring yourself. Spend time getting acquainted with the areas you’ve neglected to honor. Focus on ways to improve those areas deficient of honor and worth.
- Good gifts – What good gifts does honoring self bring into your life? How does honoring yourself bring good gifts into the relationships you have around you?
- Savor surprises – What were some of the unexpected ways you’ve discovered in honoring yourself?
- Revise if you repeat – Zero in on different aspects when you find yourself writing about the same situations, people, and things.
Taking Pride Writing Prompt
This week’s writing prompt is focusing on what you take pride in as far as your writing and discipline is. It may not even have to be writing. What gives you confidence and how it provides a way to influence others – this challenge will help you explore. Are you ready?
I am proud of myself for….
Remember to follow the tips. Practice mindfulness and meditation to help clear the landscape of your mind. Do not merely just write about what you are grateful for, share the thoughts, emotions, and how your body responds.
When you have completed this challenge – comment and share your thoughts on this experience.
Mindful Latter-day Saint Apologetics 
You must be logged in to post a comment.