Self-pride
has a good connotation in theory. We see it all the time in the movies: the
football star scores a touchdown in the last second of the game, the surgeon
pats herself on the back after finishing a successful heart surgery. Of course,
these are certainly things to be proud of, but are they truly realistic? Is the
only time I should feel worthy of self-praise after I complete a task of
similar magnitude?
Honestly,
it's hard not to fall into believing that you have to be the absolute best at
something for it to be valuable. We live in a fast paced world and quite
frankly, a fast paced country. In a place where people are constantly pushing to be "the best" at everything, when the
only things that seem to matter are the things associated with big accomplishments, well it's
hard not to lose yourself in it all. After all, we can't all be the President of the United States or the world's best neurosurgeon (as much as we all may want to be).
However,
there is something so vitally important about taking pride in the little things
that we accomplish. Granted, I’ve never walked on the moon or ended world
hunger, but I have begun to realize the gravity of the little marks that I have
made on the world, just as you all have. The truth is, we need to give more
value to those tiny accomplishments as stupid as they may be because they make
society better (even if it’s just a tiny change).
The point
is that the last math exam that you scored an A on makes a mark on the world.
The way you complimented that girl on her shoes in bio class made her day just
a little bit better. The door you held open for the kid behind you is a simple
act of kindness that made that person’s day just a little bit easier, and the
last cookie in the cafeteria that you left to the student behind you, well that
made the world a tiny bit brighter. All in all, we need to take pride in the
seemingly worthless things we do on a day to day basis. A little good goes a
long way, so why don’t we cherish those little accomplishments.
