There is a fine line between feeling good about one’s self and haughty pride. One side of the line is an uplifting asset; the other side is a weight against personal progress and collective tranquility. One must feel enough self worth to be confident enough to accomplish. However, one must be careful that healthy self-esteem does not become demonstrable egotism.
Feeling good about one’s self, gives one reason to feel that, what one starts, one can finish. Self respect coupled with wisdom gives one the will to venture, and this wisdom prompts one when not to advance. Part of us proclaims that assertiveness is the thing; another part teaches that the meek shall inherit the earth. Some of both make the better mix.
None of us exist in isolation: one must not only be concerned about one’s own good, but also the collective good of many. Crowds will follow a man who seems to know where he is going, and many will compliment him when he is meek about his trip, but a braggart is joked about behind his back.
Life at its longest, when judged along side eternity, is shorter than a Pentium cycle. There is not much time to make one’s mark, and for sure one cannot manhandle the making of it. Many times, a mark is made without conscious deliberation.
I am not the best at what I do, but I think that I am good enough to chance; and my being would be stilled if I thought my work would not be noticed. Yet, the knowledge that some are better, keeps me on the favored side of the fine and fragile line. It’s altogether right to know that one knows, as long as one knows what one does not know.
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