No one likes an insufferable braggart, but it’s also possible to go too far in the opposite direction and be so humble that you literally end up selling yourself short and downplaying your (very impressive) achievements. If you struggle to feel proud of yourself and celebrate your wins, both big and small, it’s time to change things up a bit. You deserve to feel good about the life you’re building for yourself — here’s how to do it.
1. Recognize Your Achievements.
Just because you’re not on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list or turning over $1 million in profit in the business you started a few months ago doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be proud of yourself. It’s important to recognize all your milestones, no matter how small. That might mean something as seemingly minor as learning how to do something new on a piece of software you use at work or passing a new level on a language-learning app. Whatever it is, it’s important to be like, “Oh snap, I actually did that!” and brush your shoulders off a bit.
2. Set Personal Goals and Celebrate Reaching Them.
Part of the joy is the journey, believe it or not. While it’ll be great to one day reach the pinnacle of whatever it is you’re attempting to do, there are many different steps to getting there that will be rewarding in their own way. In addition to setting long-term goals, make sure you have some shorter/more immediate ones. Achieving them will keep you motivated to keep going, especially if you allow yourself to feel proud of what you’re building towards along the way.
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4. Be nice to yourself, for goodness’ sake.
You’ll never be proud of yourself if you’re not nice to yourself in general. Treat yourself with the same understanding and empathy you would offer a friend. Forgive your mistakes and remember that the goal isn’t to be perfect, it’s to continue growing. It’s so important to accept that sometimes you’re going to mess up and that it’s all part of the learning process. Once you truly recognize and accept this, you can start to feel good about where you’re at — and where you’re headed.
5. Develop and Nurture Your Skills.
Investing time in your skills and interests not only leads to personal growth but also provides reasons to be proud. Whether it’s advancing in your career, pursuing a hobby, or learning something new, the process of growing as a person is something worth being proud of. Seeing your progress will not only build your confidence, it’ll help you discover just how much potential you have to achieve great things.
6. Help other people and realize what a difference you can make.
While you shouldn’t set out to help people for the boost it gives you, there’s no denying that it feels amazing to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate. Whether through volunteering, supporting friends, or just being a positive influence, you should acknowledge the impact you have. Knowing you’ve made a positive difference is a powerful reason to feel proud of yourself, and one that you shouldn’t forget.
7. Reflect on Your Personal Growth.
You might feel like your life is somewhat stagnant and you haven’t come all that far, but if you really widen the scope and look at who and where you were five years ago, a year ago, or even six months ago, you’ll probably realize that’s not true. Consider how you’ve overcome challenges, changed negative habits, or matured over time. This exercise isn’t just about self-congratulation; it’s about appreciating the journey you’ve been on. Once you realize how much progress you’ve actually made, it’s hard not to feel a bit of pride.
8. Find confidence in being your authentic self.
Being authentic is a lot easier than it sounds, especially given how much influence social media and pop culture have on dictating how we should live our lives. That’s why, if you’re 100% true to yourself, you should be incredibly proud. If you’re not, it’s time to change. Express your uniqueness through your style, interests, and even your opinions. Celebrating your individuality is not just self-expression; it’s a declaration of self-worth and a core reason to feel like, “You know what? I’m pretty amazing.”
9. Embrace Learning from Mistakes.
Recognizing that messing up is a valuable learning opportunity is crucial for developing self-pride. Instead of beating yourself up over your flaws and mistakes, try to see them as opportunities to grow and improve. When you learn from a mistake, it’s an achievement in itself, and it actually ends up making you much more confident in yourself. That’s because it shifts your focus from what went wrong to how you’ve grown and what you’ve gained from the experience. It takes a lot of maturity and self-assurance to see mistakes as a lesson (and to actually learn from that lesson). If you can do this easily, be proud of yourself. Everyone could learn from you!
