Create something lasting and uniquely yours
Ancient mythology convinces us that pride is the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins. In fact, many religions cite it as the source of all others. Worshipping the self and feeling righteous and creating an inflated sense of personal status, these temptations are the gateway drugs to the much harder stuff.
Fair enough. I can get behind that.
But let’s not forget, one of our goals in life is to make ourselves proud. It’s an existential requirement of all human beings. It’s one of the ways we make meaning in the world. When we take principled action that provides us with a satisfied sense of attachment towards our choices, pride is something we deserve to take.
Since finishing this movie, everyone I run into has been asking me how it feels to be done. And the only answer I can think to give, without reservation or guilt or pride or false humility, is that I’m so damn proud. I worked my ass off to make that documentary happen. It was a dream I’d had since childhood, and now it’s finally a reality. And that makes me proud.
Do you have any idea how good it feels to say that?
Ask yourself what it would take for you to really feel proud of yourself. Don’t let the cultural conditioning around the sinfulness of pride rob you of that meaningful experience. The decision to bite into something, do it really well, and then stand back and nod your head at the finished product, there’s nothing quite like it. To create something lasting and uniquely yours, something that you have complete control over, nothing beats that dancing smile of satisfaction.
Principled action is something nobody can take away from you.