Spiritual Blogs

As with just about everything else, people have interpreted pride into both positive and negative aspects. It's easy to see the self-destructiveness of the negative aspects of pride, especially within other people. How pride leads to arrogance, an enormous ego, and thinking you're better than others. But then there's the "positive" aspect of pride, feeling good about yourself and your accomplishments. On the surface it may seem like this sort of pride is helpful. I have achieved something, so I allow myself to feel proud of my accomplishments. This kind of thinking is encouraged by our society, it's very common.

Realize that this is just as much a recipe for misery as the negative meaning of pride. It's linking your happiness and your self-worth to your accomplishments. If you really want happiness in your life, don't put restrictions on your happiness. Don't tie your happiness to accomplishments. Life isn't always going to meet your expectations, not all you endeavors are going to be successful. If you tie your self-worth to your success, what will you do when you're not successful? Do you see the problems you set up for yourself through pride?

You've got things backwards, you think some major accomplishment or achievement is going to lead to self-worth. It's supposed to transform you into someone you can be happy with. That's part of the lie of pride. I say it's backwards because your accomplishments will be all the more grand if they begin from a place of self-worth and happiness. That's part of the "secret" to success, starting out from a solid foundation.

Pride is linked to judgment. The "positive" type of pride is associated with "positive" self-judgment, while the "negative" type of pride is associated with negative judgments of others. Judgment is always going to lead to misery and I recommend learning that lesson ASAP as it's a lesson people repeat for themselves over and over again. Don't judge yourself based upon your "successes" and "failures", use those experiences to learn and grow. Though this, even that what you believe to be a "failure" will still lead to growth. No longer will the "failures" lead you to question your own self-worth.

I believe that pride comes from a desire for self-love, it's good intentioned, but you know what they say about good intentions... Pride is self-love that's been twisted by filters of duality, it's not real Love, it's narcissism, and it's usually based upon comparing yourself to others.

God sees great value in your Being, especially because you originated from God, and you are in no way separate from God. You don't need beliefs like pride to see your inherent value, you have only to realize the truth of Love and Equality. Then you can see your own worthiness, as well as the worthiness of everyone and everything in Creation.

The Galactic Free Press
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http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/how-we-sabotage-ourselves-through-pride