Our SELF, or Ego, is essentially who we are as individuals. It's neither good nor evil; it's simply what makes us who we are. When we do or say things for the aim of people praising our SELF, making our SELF feel good, or placing our SELF ahead of someone else's SELF, we are displaying unhealthy pride. Even when we're not in the room, pride wants our SELF to be praised, given glory, revered, and spoken about. Unhealthy pride can give us an inflated perspective of our own SELF that isn't accurate, yet we start to believe it and act on it. And the pyrotechnics start when someone doubts or criticizes our SELF's perception as inaccurate.
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What are manifestations of pride?
Pride is defined as: a concentration on oneself and the service of oneself, a pursuit of self-recognition and self-exaltation, and a desire to control and use everything for oneself (a master's attitude rather than a servant's perspective).
What is the root cause of pride?
When we achieve a goal, such as obtaining a promotion or purchasing a new car, there's nothing wrong with feeling satisfied. We set ourselves up for suffering if we let these things to determine who we are. Suffering is caused by clinging too closely to things that will surely fade away, according to Buddhist psychology.
Validating, affirming, and appreciating ourselves as we are leads to a more authentic and solid sense of self-worth. Self-worth is a result of living with dignity, which exists independently of any achievements. Accomplishments are fleeting and can become a trap. We become hooked to external sources of fulfillment if we devote too much of our attention to achieving bigger and better things in order to feel happy.
Dignity, on the other hand, can exist within us regardless of our accomplishments or failures. We are not required to prove anything to anyone, including ourselves. If a business fails, it does not imply that we are failures. If an attempt to convey our sentiments to our spouse fails, we may be disappointed, but we can take comfort in knowing that we tried our hardest. We can feel the honor of reaching out to reconnect or mend a relationship that has been harmed. Regardless matter the outcome, we can feel the dignity of living a life of integrity.
Perhaps there's a reason why pride is regarded as one of the seven deadly sins. We've all been turned off by those who exaggerate their own worth. They may talk excessively about themselves and exhibit little interest in others. They exude an attitude that makes others feel scrutinized, and they build themselves up and come out as snobby.
Such arrogance and overconfidence push us away. Instead of treating us as equals, they treat us with an arrogant superiority that makes us feel insignificant. They have an uncanny ability to make us feel the humiliation that they refuse to acknowledge in themselves.
Pride is frequently fueled by feelings of inadequacy and shame. We have such low self-esteem that we compensate by feeling superior. We look for flaws in others in order to hide our own. We enjoy criticizing others as a shield against admitting our own flaws.
How does pride get in the way?
For a reason, pride is one of the seven deadly sins. It obstructs our ability to learn, makes us egotistical, and jeopardizes our responsibilities as leaders and business owners. However, putting pride aside might assist us in becoming better and more successful in our undertakings.
Every day, there are lessons to be learnt from people you wouldn't expect, whether it's from an intern, an in-law, or a child. “Always walk through life as though you have something fresh to learn, and you will,” remarked Vernon Howard.
The following six suggestions will assist you in putting your pride aside so that you can achieve professional success.
Be Aware
While pride demonstrates that you value yourself and your achievements, and it motivates you to work toward what you deserve, it can be dangerous in large doses.
Recognize when you're being too proud as the first step in controlling your pride. Be self-critical, but not too harsh on yourself. You'll be able to better control your pride once you start listening to your thoughts and thinking about others.
Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously
According to Psychology Today, pride stems from a sense of disgrace or shame. You can avoid developing a mental and psychological barrier that will stifle your growth if you're willing to laugh at yourself, admit that you don't know everything, and disregard prideful thoughts when they enter your mind.
While confidence, drive, and respect are important leadership traits, having too much pride will prevent you from earning them or others' admiration.
Ask the Right Questions
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life is an enlightening book that shows how asking learning questions rather than judgmental questions can help you and people around you thrive.
What is the difference between these two queries, though? How do you tell if you're asking the correct people? Learning and judgment charts are highlighted in the book, with the former leading to a beneficial outcome and the latter to “the judger pit.”
“What happened?” is a good question to ask to open the path to resolution and growth. instead of “Why am I such a failure?” or “What do I want?” “Why are they so stupid?” or “Why are they so stupid?”
Be Open-Minded
“Your way or the highway” can be viewed as prideful mentality. You'll already be bettering yourself and your teammates by remaining open-minded.
Take a deep breath and force yourself to focus on their point of view if you find yourself shutting someone down before they've even finished a phrase. Ask a clarifying inquiry if you don't agree or comprehend something. Being open-minded will improve team morale and lead to better ideas and outcomes.
Listen, Don't Talk
Being a know-it-all has never been a flattering label. It's impossible to know everything, and individuals who act as if they do are frequently hated.
“One of the most honest kinds of respect is truly listening to what another has to say,” said Brant H. McGill.
Listening is the polar opposite of pride since it allows someone else to express themselves or their thoughts while putting your pride aside. Listen more than you speak and see how many new things you can pick up in the process.
Put Your Business First
Pride can be detrimental to a company's bottom line. Put your company goals on a pedestal if you're suffering with pride, ego, and other unpopular human tendencies.
When you notice yourself becoming obstinate, argumentative, or defensive (all signs of pride), ask yourself one question: “Will this help me improve my work, advance in the company, or improve the bottom line?” If you get a no or even a delayed yes, you know you have pride to deal with and let go of.
Cut yourself some slack as you seek to become a more humble leader, employee, and business owner. It's never simple to make a positive change, but once you do, you'll be shocked at the doors that open and who's eager to teach you something new.
Give people permission to point out pride in your life.
The intellect is deceived by pride. It blinds you and makes you believe that everything is fine; nevertheless, while your pride is unclear to you, it is painfully obvious to those around you. Allow them to point out your pride without fear of eliciting your wrath.
Focus more on God than you do on yourself
When we are confronted with our pride, our initial reaction may be contemplation. The issue with this is that it keeps you focused on yourself, which feeds your pride. Rather than becoming introspective, spend time reading Scripture. Consider what Christ has accomplished for you.
Pray
Prayer is a humble attitude toward God. Answer pride with prayer when it comes knocking at your door. Request that He humble you. Ask Him to search your heart and show where you've allowed pride to take control, and ask Him to use His power to help you break free from pride's grip on your life.
Remember
Remember when God offers you a lesson in humility! A lesson that is remembered does not need to be retaught. Take those teachings and use them on a regular basis in your life.
Benjamin Franklin never forgot what he learned from Mather about humility. “I often think of it when I see pride humiliated, and tragedies brought upon individuals by their lifting their heads too high,” Franklin subsequently wrote to Mather's son.
What are the two types of pride?
Quotes by Maxwell There are two types of pride: positive and negative. Our dignity and self-respect are symbolized by ‘good pride.' The fatal sin of superiority, ‘bad pride,' smells of conceit and hubris.
What are the three types of pride?
The paper examines pride as a social feeling linked to image and self-image as well as power relations, as well as its nature, expression, and functions. Three varieties of pride are identified: dignity, superiority, and arrogance; their mental constituents are identified; and two experimental studies are provided showing that they are conveyed by distinct combinations of grin, eyebrow and eyelid positions, and head posture.
How pride can ruin your life?
The biggest gains in life frequently necessitate the most risk. The United States of America exists only as a result of our forefathers' extraordinary risk in defying British control. Having a high risk tolerance is a fantastic quality to have. Do you have any idea why? High risk tolerance does not imply that you will always take massive chances; rather, it indicates that you are willing to play a greater game.
To give an example, many people lack the risk tolerance required to start a business. They can't bring themselves to invest their time, money, reputation, or effort in anything that can fail, even if they have everything else in place (talent, desire, funds, idea, business plan). A large proportion of possibilities are ruled out due to their poor risk tolerance. These individuals aren't inherently arrogant, although pride is a prevalent factor.
We become self-conscious as a result of our pride. We tend to protect our (self-assigned) status rather than strive for something greater when we think highly of ourselves. Pride makes us focus on the negative rather than the positive, no matter how significant it is. “What if I fail in front of everyone?”
The proud are aware that they have a long way to fall and that their perch is dry-rotted (are proud humans birds? ), making them feel constantly threatened. It's why, if you even dared to challenge a proud individual, they will retaliate vehemently. They're worried that the card house may crumble.
It's an upside-down version of reality, in which you're already on top and will collapse if you make a mistake. The truth is that none of us ever reach the pinnacle, and there is no fall too tremendous to overcome, learn from, and use as a springboard to reach new heights. Cinnamon is the primary spice of life, followed by trial and error learning and growth.
Haughty people, strangely, are the most likely to be mired in mediocrity and image management because of the poisonous thinking of a prideful mind. Don't let this happen to you. Stay modest and you'll be able to climb safely higher, because your thoughts will be at sea level even at 20,000 feet.
Abrasive Relation Station.
There is no winner in a pride competition since no one likes the winner. Humans don't like it when they're made fun of, and pride gives others the sensation “implications of “better than you” Humility, on the other hand, has the opposite impact. They'll feel happy whenever they're with you if you (wonderful as you are) put others above yourself. They're going to like you!
Pride is to blame for a lot of relationship problems. It's your pride telling you to accept you're wrong if you can't admit you're wrong “to “win” the debate Giving credit to others hurts your pride, so you take an all-or-nothing approach. If you are very proud of yourself, you may even refuse to communicate, which is the worst relationship mistake you can do.
Communication and connection are harmed by pride. It's impossible for someone to get close to you when you put yourself on a pedestal. Your ability to be vulnerable, which is how we show one other that we trust each other, will be harmed. Pride and vulnerability are incompatible. If I show you my flaws, my pride takes a back seat since I've just demonstrated imperfection, and pride is a lie we tell ourselves and others to make us believe we're flawless.
Pride Makes You Weak, Vulnerability Makes You Strong
Pride is a fragile picture that can be ripped apart by the least impact. The real you, with all of your flaws and fears, can be exposed to the public at any time. You're setting yourself up for a massive and painful fall if you show yourself to be stronger than you are.
Vulnerability, on the other hand, has the opposite impact. What if you were honest with yourself about your flaws and embraced them? Isn't it possible that the world will break you apart a little? That is why vulnerability should not be thrown around lightly. But magic happens when you're cautious to express your humanity in humility and acknowledge that you don't have it all together.
Because they know you're genuine, they like you more. Genuine individuals have flaws. Prideful, phony people make it a point not to display any flaws. Your genuine colors are a wonderful blend of flaw and merit, and you should be proud of them.
Furthermore, beginning with humility and vulnerability gives you confidence in who you are. Confidence is the positive side of pride that leads so many of us into the trap. Pride instills confidence, but when that confidence is based on an image that isn't you, it might be misplaced.
I identified two ways pride may wreck your life in the first section of the article: your career and your relationships. Based on how much time is spent on them, these are undoubtedly the most significant aspects of life.
Consider the difference between maintaining a pristine image and being willing to make a few public mistakes by taking a step back as if you're looking at your life from the outside. Isn't the latter liberating? It's not like pride, which is a cage that pushes you to act in order to keep it. People become slaves because of their pride.
One of our race's weaknesses is pride. We've all been proud in our own ways at times, and we'll all be proud at moments in the future. The distinction is in how we see it as a positive or negative quality. Those that see it as advantageous adopt it as a way of life, which is exactly what I'm warning you against. Don't be drawn into the pride slave cage by the seduction of a perfect image.
What negative things can come from pride?
Do you associate the term pride with a positive or bad connotation? There are numerous sorts of pride that are beneficial. “Take pride in our job” is a nice thing to do. When someone says to us, “I'm proud of you,” we like it. Almost everyone wants to live in a community where people take pride in their homes. All of these gestures convey a positive sense of pride: dignity, respect, and honor, qualities that we can all appreciate.
However, pride isn't necessarily a good thing. Pride can also refer to arrogance, conceit, or superiority. This type of pride is damaging since it is based on self-centeredness.
Relationships are especially vulnerable to selfish pride. That's because the polar opposite of loving others is being self-centered, not hating them. C.S. Lewis, a famous writer and apologist, has this to say about pride:
The argument is that each person's pride competes with the pride of everyone else. I'm irritated with someone else making the big noise at the party because I wanted to be the big noise at the party…. What you want to understand is that pride is essentially competitive, that it is competitive by nature, whereas the other vices are competitive simply by chance.
Pride derives no joy from possessing something; rather, it derives pleasure from possessing more of it than the next man. We claim that people are proud of being wealthier, smarter, or more attractive than others. There would be nothing to be proud of if everyone became equally wealthy, intelligent, or attractive. It's the satisfaction of being better than the rest that makes you proud.
So, how do we address the issue of pride? I believe there are a number of steps we can take to combat our proclivity for self-centeredness.
1. Acknowledge and Accept Your Pride.
“If somebody would wish to gain humility, I can, I believe, give him the first step,” C.S. Lewis stated of admitting pride. The first step is to acknowledge one's pride. And it's a significant step. Nothing, at the very least, can be done before it. You are quite conceited indeed if you believe you are not conceited.” You won't be able to address a problem that you aren't aware of.
2. Show Your Appreciation.
“A proud man is rarely a thankful man,” Henry Ward Beecher said, “for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” Saying “thank you” has a way of drawing our attention away from ourselves and back to the blessings we've received and the people who have blessed us.
3. Put Servanthood into Action.
A truly great person is always willing to be small. However, pride opposes servanthood since a proud person expects to be served. Serving others forces us to focus on their needs rather than our own, reminding us that we are a part of something larger than ourselves.
4. Make a fool of yourself.
“Blessed are they who laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be entertained,” says an old proverb. You'll discover humor everywhere once you start looking for it in your own behavior and situation. People who are conceited take themselves far too seriously. You begin to see how ludicrous we can all be when you laugh at yourself.
If your pride motivates you to strive for perfection, do your best, and rejoice in the accomplishments of others, you're on your way to being a better leader. However, if it contains even a smidgeon of competition or self-promotion, it will almost certainly have a negative impact on your relationships. That can be detrimental to both your personal life and your leadership abilities. If that's the case, do what I try to do: focus on others while following the advice above.
What the Bible says about pride?
- The majority of people do not believe they are proud or vulnerable to pride. Yet, according to the Bible, this is one of the fundamental types of sin that exists in everyone of our hearts.
- Revelation 2:15-17 (NASB) “Do not be enamored with the world or anything in it. If someone loves the world, he does not love the Father. For everything in the worldsinful man's desires, his eye lust, and his boasting of what he has and doescomes from the world, not from the Father. The world and its wants pass away, but a person who follows God's will lives forever.”
- Pride is the first and most terrible of all sins. Our biggest issue is pride. Certainly not the devil. It's not a case of low self-esteem. Not our upbringing or the injustices we've experienced.
- God despises pride, and we must learn to despise what he despises and love what he loves. How much do you despise arrogance?
- 8:13 (Proverbs) “I despise conceit and arrogance, bad behavior, and perverse speech because I fear the LORD.”
- 11:2 (Proverbs) “When pride enters, it brings shame, but humility brings insight.”
- 16:5 (Proverbs) “All arrogant hearts are despised by the LORD. You can rest assured that they will not go unpunished.”
- 16:18 in Proverbs “A haughty spirit precedes a fall, and pride before ruin.”
- 4:6 James “He, on the other hand, lavishes us with grace. As a result, the Bible says: “The haughty are opposed by God, but the humble are blessed.”
- 5:5 in 1 Peter “Young men should be submissive to their elders in the same way. ‘God opposes the haughty but grants grace to the humble,' says the Bible. “All of you, cover yourselves with humility toward one another.”
- 14:11 (KJV) “Because whomever exalts himself will be humbled, while whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
- The path to the top is also the path to the bottom. The polar opposite of everything else. You will be exalted if you humble yourself; if you exalt yourself, you will be humbled.
- 15:33 (Proverbs) “The fear of the LORD teaches a man knowledge, and humility is more important than honor.”
- 18:12 (Proverbs) “A man's heart is haughty before his downfall, but humility comes before honour.”
- 29:23 (Proverbs) “A man's pride lowers him low, but a lowly spirit brings him honor.”
- Isaiah 57:15 Isaiah 57:15 Isaiah 57:15 “For this is what the high and lofty One sayshe who lives forever and whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the contrite and the heart of the contrite.”
- 5:6 in 1 Peter “Therefore, humble yourselves under God's powerful hand, so that he may raise you up in due time.”
- 23:9 (Isaiah) “It was designed by the LORD Almighty to bring the vanity of all glory to naught and to shame all who are famed on the earth.”
- God opposes the haughty to demonstrate their need for him. As a result, he achieves greatness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 is a passage from the book of 2 Corinthians. “To guard me from growing conceited as a result of these exceedingly great revelations, a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, was placed in my flesh to torture me. I begged the Lord three times to take it away from me. However, Jesus told me, “For you, my grace is sufficient, because my power is perfected in weakness.” As a result, I will joyfully boast about my flaws in order for Christ's power to rest on me. That is why, for the cause of Christ, I enjoy flaws, insults, trials, persecutions, and challenges. Because I am powerful while I am weak.”
- The source of our life must be altered. Whether you realize it or not, you are a weak person. The Christian life is lived by abiding.
1. Humility does not imply a denial of the gifts and graces bestowed upon you by God.
- It's critical to understand your areas of expertise. Recognize that you have a calling to assist and serve others.
- Humility does not imply that you are lowering yourself down. It means being honest with yourself and walking in the light of God's grace. It's about putting to good use what God has given you.
2. Humility does not imply a lack of purpose, passion, or divine ambition.
- It is not sinful to desire to be used by God or to grow in God's kingdom. God wants to use you to do great things in his service. A defeatist or losing mindset does not glorify God.
3. Humility does not negate God's activity in your life or in the church.
4. Humility isn't about settling for mediocrity.
- You should strive for excellence, but not for the sake of drawing attention to yourself or impressing others.
- You can appreciate God's gifts without attempting to impress others if you are humble.
5. Humility does not mean rejecting or avoiding the truth.
- You have been enjoined to be upright and humble. You must tell the truth in love while remaining self-righteously critical.
- 49:16 Jeremiah “You who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill, have been deluded by the dread you inspire and the pride of your heart.” “Even if you build your nest as high as an eagle's, I will drag you down from there,” declares the LORD.”
- We require assistance in recognizing the benefits of pride in our life. What is the real reason behind your actions? Are you evaluating your prideful heart and motives? Beyond apparent behavior, what actually needs to change?
- 16:2 (Proverbs) “A man's actions appear innocent to him, but the LORD weighs intentions.”
- 21:2 (Proverbs) “A man's ways may appear right to him, but the LORD considers his heart.”
- True freedom is accessed via humility. How do you handle problems in your life? Is it at the symptom, problem, or root level?
- 8:31-36 (KJV) “If you cling to my teaching, you are truly my disciples,” Jesus remarked to the Jews who had believed him. You will then understand the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone,” they said. What makes you think we'll be set free?” “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” Jesus said. A slave no longer has a permanent place in the family, but a son does. As a result, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.”





