Pride
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble.” -Proverbs 11:2
Prior to writing this article, I did a Google search for the phrase “overcoming pride.” To my (somewhat unpleasant) surprise, nine of the first ten results dealt with pride from a Christian perspective. It’s not simply the religious perspective which bothers me; in fact, as someone who identifies with Christian beliefs, the perception that Christians struggle with pride doesn’t bother me at all. What bothers me is the perception that pride is something that only Christians struggle with — or should care about.
We’ve all dealt with the neighborhood egomaniac. You know, the guy who’s just a little too boastful about his career accomplishments or the girl who won’t shut up about her boyfriend. It doesn’t matter whether you view pride as a sin or simply an annoyance; you know what the neighborhood egomaniac is like, and you know what everyone thinks of them. Don’t be that person. 
What comes to mind when we think of the word “pride?” Arrogance? Self-esteem? An unwillingness to ask for help? Sometimes, instead of using the term for what it is, we substitute some of the various ways in which a person’s inner pride manifests on the outside. Simply put, pride is an inordinate opinion of one’s own self, whether or not it is apparent to others.
We often confuse pride with self-confidence, but they’re quite different (maybe even mutually exclusive) — pride is a condition whereas self-confidence is a quality. Pride stems from external events and is boosted by internal fear; self-confidence stems from internal love and is boosted by external feedback. In other words, pride is circumstantial, but self-confidence is inherent.
The good news here is that because pride is circumstantial, it can be overcome.
The typical way of tackling pride, regardless of one’s belief system, is through some form of humility. We attack pride directly, by attempting to minimize it while building up its opposite. Good sportsmanship. Charity. Prayer. All of these are “good things.” Pride, however, has the tendency to consume a person; when it subsides, an ugly nest of fear, anger and insecurity can pop up in its place. We need to replace pride with a more positive characteristic…
Courage is the solution. I mentioned that pride is boosted by fear. If we think of pride as a type of facade, as a false feeling of confidence that masks deep insecurities, then it becomes easy to understand why courage is so important. Attacking pride directly will only serve to break down that facade, leaving the insecurities. To eliminate pride in ourselves, we need to eliminate its root — we must first deal with our fears! By replacing fear with courage (and, eventually, with love), pride will dissipate on its own.
Don’t just display confidence; develop the courage to actually feel it. Don’t just get to know others; develop the courage to allow them to know you. Don’t just talk about changing the world; develop the courage to go out there and do it. Now.
When you begin to challenge your fears and insecurities, to develop courage and to break down the facade of pride, I think you’ll be amazed at how much more of your potential you’ll have realized. Just don’t get too cocky, okay?
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