Pride Comes Before The Fall

All parents at some point tell their kids that they are proud of them. I've done it before, but it is something that I've consciously tried to remove from my conversations with them after reading a number of articles like this one in the Huffington Post. Saying "I'm proud of you." really becomes more about me rather than my kid, just look who is first mentioned in that sentence. If my kids accomplish anything it is really about them, yes I play a part in raising them but it should be about them.

It is a similar stance I try really hard to take at work as a manager. Yes, my job is to lead a team of people, but what they accomplish isn't about what I've done. I try not to say "my team", instead it is "the team". Whenever I want to give praise or recognition to anyone, I think about the words that I use because there is power in them. The focus needs to be on them and what they accomplish. 

Pride is something we all should avoid, after all it is one of the seven deadly sins. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." That is where the saying "Pride comes before the fall" originated that we've all heard. There are many stories about kids that burn out playing a sport or some other activity because their parents become too involved or too overbearing. When it says pride goes before destruction, it isn't always destruction of the person that is proud. Pride can cause as much destruction to those around us as it will to ourselves. Our pride as a parent impacts our kids to a great degree. Be happy for them, excited for them, cheer them on like no one else can. But try not to be so proud because you know where that can lead.

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