Be Authentically Proud: You’ll be happier and by the way…so will we
Authentic pride can make your life easier and more satisfying. And it has some wonderful side effects – It improves the lives of others and can build your business.
The giant-sized clock on the wall behind him read 10:00 AM and he said, ”You must be Joseph.” “I’m Steve,” It was way too pristine to be a transmission repair shop. The waiting room looked more like a dentists office. In fact my dentist’s office doesn’t look as good. Someone had enthusiastically referred me to this place as the best place to get my transmission repaired.
While I waited for Wally to check out my vehicle,
I browsed the serving of plaques on the wall. Among them was a mounted accolade from a local paper that acknowledged the business for high customer satisfaction. The last paragraph included a quote from Wally: “ I take pride in my work. I enjoy doing the job as well as I can.”
What Are You Proud Of And Why?
Everything about my great experience at the shop was the result of prideful work. When Wally came to report the problem he found, it was not in the transmission. Steve recommended a place to go for the repair I needed and even called ahead and explained the problem to Scott, another wonderfully prideful guy.
Here’s the point: These all these people were not striving to make me proud of them. They were being proud for themselves. I was the lucky and appreciative beneficiary.
Good Pride and Bad Pride
Are you OK with being proud? Self-pride has some old negative connotations and is defined as: “a haughty attitude shown by people who believe, often unjustifiably, that they are better than others.” I know that in the past, I avoided pride, unconsciously reacting to old messages of “who do you think you are?”
Now researchers at University of California, Davis, have established that pride has two faces: hubristic and authentic – arrogant or genuine, good or bad.
It’s All About You, But…
Authentic pride is the acknowledgment you give yourself and is a motivator for achievement. It’s not about striving to make someone else proud of you; it is all about your relationship with yourself. The effect of that prideful relationship is self-fulfillment and certainty. It was very obvious that Steve, Wally and Scott were calm, confident and contented in their work and life. That confidence and ease resonated with me and had two major effects:
1. I am a loyal fan of theirs and will refer everyone I can to each of their businesses.
2. I am inspired to be more authentically prideful in some areas of my work and I recognize immediately how my clients will benefit.
What Can You Be More Proud Of?
This repair experienced caused me to examine what I could take more pride in. I found that not being authentically proud of some things that I do well has cost me self-respect, and by the way, revenue. I also noticed that there are some things that I am doing that I am not authentically proud of and, by the way. It is also clear that doing what it takes to be true to myself will absolutely result in better service to my clients.
Be Proud! Be True You. There’s no one like you on the planet. Do your thing, whatever it is, in a way that makes you proud of you. You will serve and inspire the rest of us.
Joseph Liberti
Copyright 1998-2007 Joseph Liberti. All rights reserved. Joseph Liberti coaches leaders and coaches to liberate authentic self through the development of emotional intelligence. Feel free to copy and distribute this article as long as you keep this credit. For more about developing emotional intelligence visit Joseph’s blog at EQ Tip.
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