Feeling unmotivated? Maybe you should work on your pride- literally.

"Pride"

1. a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

2. consciousness of one's own dignity.

3. Confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group, typically one that has been socially marginalised, on the basis of their shared identity, culture, and experience.

4. the best state of something; the prime

5. a group of lions forming a social unit (collective noun)

In June of each year, there is a raised awareness of "pride" and what this means for the LGBTQI+ community. In this sense it focuses on a previously marginalised group of people that have created a space for themselves to feel unconditional pride in their identity.

This got me thinking. Culturally speaking, we were taught as kids that being "pride-full" or voicing your achievements makes you come across as vain, conceited or self-absorbed. We were therefore, arguably, not really taught how to acknowledge ourselves and feel pride in a healthy way. As kids there is a reward for behaving well and shame or punishment for behaving badly. It is easy to see that those two can get confused; as adults we now struggle not to feel guilty for being proud of ourselves. We then minimise our achievements or disregard even small steps that we have taken to achieve a bigger goal saying, “it’s nothing”.

We have become a society of unacknowledged achievers.

In order to right this wrong, I'd like to direct your attention to numbers 1 and 4 or the above definition:

1. a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired

Feeling healthy pride in your own achievements and taking a moment to acknowledge what you have done, even daily small tasks, releases the "reward" hormone Dopamine. This allows us to feel pleasure, motivation and satisfaction. It also supports coordination, short-term memories and encourages spontaneity.

4. the best state of something; the prime

We will literally never have this moment or this state of being ever again. The here and the now is where we need to be present. Learn how to allow yourself to feel, think, explore, nourish, play and discover. Every. Day.

This is the challenge: Finding small ways to acknowledge your own achievements on a daily basis and allowing yourself to feel a healthy sense of pride because of the small steps you are taking.

You deserve this.