Pride; From Others & For Yourself

Pride.

What a broad subject.

& if you’ve read my other posts you know I’m going to do my best to break it down according to my own opinions, experiences and thoughts. Take it for what it’s worth or scroll on past. Either way, I’ll still be proud of myself for posting this and every blog post previous to this one. 🙂 (See what i did there?)

Through out life being proud of yourself doesn’t always come easy. There are days you look in the mirror and hate who is staring back at you. Moments where you forget how far you have come from where you once were. & Seconds where you feel crushed by others and you allow them to steal your own pride.

This weight loss journey has come with no shortage of a wide range of emotions for me. I’ve discussed so many of those feelings and trials. I don’t think I’ve dug into pride of yourself and those around you being proud of your accomplishments as deep as I should yet so. . . here we are. Another blog, another insight into my own mind.

Let’s start with the pride that comes from those in your life: Recently I was with a close friend and I showed them the side by side from above; they beamed with pride. They showed every one near the photo and while others may portray that as being proud of me for just the weight loss; I did not. I saw the pride that was beaming for me because of my dedication, my perseverance, and my heart. I saw someone who has loved me at some of the darkest points in my life being proud that I have risen from the ashes, time and time again to prove that I will never be just another statistic.

I have also been blessed and have the amazing privilege of having a select few that I feel so uniquely comfortable with. A handful of people who cheer me on when I need it and remind me of their pride when I am filled with doubts. These amazing, kind, caring souls (whether they walked into my life years ago or recently) share their pride with me on a regular basis. Compliments on how I look are wonderful and appreciated but hearing that someone is proud of me for where I am, who I was and what I’ve been through will leave my eyes filled with tears and my heart full every. single. time.

When someone compliments me on my weight loss it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s the feeling of growing and moving forward. It’s the love coming from behind the words. It’s the fact that they see me, trying & pushing myself past every stereotype any one has ever tried to label me with.

& you know what? Feeling proud of yourself is okay. And even more than that it should be one hundred percent accepted by you and those around you! And it certainly shouldn’t just be based on your weight. Even prior to this journey I was proud of who I am as a person. I am proud of my heart and the journey I’ve been on.

I still have pieces of myself that I want to work on. I have areas in my life that need my attention and they will get it. I have days where I certainly don’t feel proud of myself. I’m still very much human.

Life can suck; point blank. Every single one of us has to face our own demons and even some real life monsters. And each day we wake up we have won the battle of the day before. That is some thing to overflow with pride from.

So yes, I am proud of myself. And I am so thankful for those who are proud of me. This doesn’t mean I’m cocky or bragging; it means I can look back on my life and see just how far I’ve come. It means I can and choose to acknowledge that determination and perseverance can and will pay off & it is totally worth it.

Live every day pushing yourself to be a better version of you, remind those in your life how proud you are of who they are, and always go to bed with pride in your heart of how far you have come.♥️