Are You Proud Of You?

Are you proud of you?

Do you pat yourself on the back when you do well or disregard an achievement, already looking forward to the next one?

Do you take out the time to bask in the joy that comes over us all when you reach out and can touch where you’ve always wanted to be — the place that once seemed so out of touch?

Or are you so focused on what you don’t have that you can’t even enjoy all the things you do?

Are you proud of you?

Do you understand that it took a special kind of balls and gumption to get to this point?

Don’t you know that your resilience alone should make you proud of you?

That you never gave up, you never quit.

You pushed and pushed and continued to push. Even when the tears came because the first of many failures stared you right in the face… taunting you to let that dream go. Taunting you to give up on that passion.

But you didn’t.

You kept fighting.

You kept pushing.

For that alone,

Aren’t you freaking proud of you?

Proud of all that you are currently and everything you will eventually be?

Do you ever take a moment to just stop and ask yourself if you’re proud of you?

Because I am.

So proud of you.

Proud of you for every battle you won, for every hill you mounted, for winning every race you ran.

I’m proud of you for the losses too, because they shaped you. They changed you… for the best. Those losses, gosh those failures molded you into the person you are today.

Someone who should be damn proud of yourself — of all you are and all you will eventually be.

So do me a favor before you go.

The next time someone takes a moment to ask,

“Are you proud of you?”

With a chin high and eyes laser focused without hesitation respond with,

“Damn proud. I’m damn proud of me.”

Thelms