monday morning pride thread
And on the heels of my post from yesterday ... I think I want to try something. Let's see how long I can keep it up and remember to keep doing it *g*
I was saying, yesterday, about how we're all socialized out of taking pride in our accomplishments. Because we are; we're supposed to be modest, we're supposed to demur, we're supposed to put ourselves down and build others up. And building others up is important, but -- dammit, that's one thing that annoys me about some corners of fandom, how our unwritten social guidelines reinforce those unpleasant bits of wider socialization, about how saying yeah, I did that, and I'm proud of it will get picked up and used against us and viewed as evidence of unbearable ego or stuck-up-ness or self-centeredness. It's unfashionable for us to admit to owning our own accomplishments and it's just not done to take pride in what we do.
And I see this struggle a lot. Not just in fandom -- not even primarily in fandom. I see it in the people I work with, and the people I love, and the people I'm friends with, and the people I interact with regularly. Ego has turned into a dirty word, and it's not, or it shouldn't be. A healthy and realistic sense of accomplishment is the number one thing that can keep us going through the tough times, and when you don't believe that you're accomplishing anything, when you only reflect on the failures, your life becomes nothing but a series of misery.
So let's do this. And if I forget to do this, you guys poke me and remind me, okay? Monday mornings, every week, let's celebrate ourselves, to start the week right. Tell me what you're proud of. Tell me what you accomplished last week, something -- at least one thing -- that you can turn around and point at and say: I did this. Me. It was tough, but I did it, and I did it well, and I am proud of it, and it makes me feel good to see what I accomplished. Could be anything -- something you made, something you did, something you got through. Just take a minute and celebrate yourself. Either here, or in your journal, but somewhere.
(And if you feel uncomfortable doing this in public, I've set this entry to screen all anonymous comments, and I won't unscreen 'em unless you tell me it's okay.)
I was saying, yesterday, about how we're all socialized out of taking pride in our accomplishments. Because we are; we're supposed to be modest, we're supposed to demur, we're supposed to put ourselves down and build others up. And building others up is important, but -- dammit, that's one thing that annoys me about some corners of fandom, how our unwritten social guidelines reinforce those unpleasant bits of wider socialization, about how saying yeah, I did that, and I'm proud of it will get picked up and used against us and viewed as evidence of unbearable ego or stuck-up-ness or self-centeredness. It's unfashionable for us to admit to owning our own accomplishments and it's just not done to take pride in what we do.
And I see this struggle a lot. Not just in fandom -- not even primarily in fandom. I see it in the people I work with, and the people I love, and the people I'm friends with, and the people I interact with regularly. Ego has turned into a dirty word, and it's not, or it shouldn't be. A healthy and realistic sense of accomplishment is the number one thing that can keep us going through the tough times, and when you don't believe that you're accomplishing anything, when you only reflect on the failures, your life becomes nothing but a series of misery.
So let's do this. And if I forget to do this, you guys poke me and remind me, okay? Monday mornings, every week, let's celebrate ourselves, to start the week right. Tell me what you're proud of. Tell me what you accomplished last week, something -- at least one thing -- that you can turn around and point at and say: I did this. Me. It was tough, but I did it, and I did it well, and I am proud of it, and it makes me feel good to see what I accomplished. Could be anything -- something you made, something you did, something you got through. Just take a minute and celebrate yourself. Either here, or in your journal, but somewhere.
(And if you feel uncomfortable doing this in public, I've set this entry to screen all anonymous comments, and I won't unscreen 'em unless you tell me it's okay.)