[AskApril Masini]

I know that it’s hard to see right now, but I bet you’re capable of understanding that pride isn’t what you think it is. When someone feels pride in themselves, they feel good about themselves and their decisions in life. You can be proud of a promotion, or a new home purchase, or a child’s accomplishment because you feel connected to that event. You feel responsible for the promotion or the new home purchase or your part in the child’s accomplishment.

When you can feel good about yourself — so much so that other people’s accomplishments can bring you happiness and joy because of what THEY did, and not YOUR part in the accomplishment, you’re going to be an enlightened human being! 🙂

Letting go of pride is really about letting go of your needing to be a part in things. It’s kind of like releasing your ego and letting other people get the applause, while you sit back and watch. With time, you can also enjoy their applause without feeling that you’re not getting it.

When you’re in a great place, your husband will say something you know is wrong, and you’ll be able to say to yourself, he’s wrong, but look how much pleasure he’s getting in thinking he’s right, and I really enjoy seeing this person I love feeling good about himself, so I’m not only going to let him be right on this one, I’m going to enjoy his feeling of being right because that’s more important than me at this moment.

Complicated, right?

Letting go of pride is becoming selfless.

This is going to be key to letting go of your anger. When you don’t have to be right, and fight to the death to prove your might because your words aren’t working, you’re going to feel like you’re giving up, at first.

Eventually, you’ll come to see that being selfless makes you very powerful! 🙂 It’s like switching games. When things that used to be important to you, like being right about his moving rocks in your car and making him admit your righteousness, don’t matter, you’ll see how silly and petty they were. Other things like people’s feelings and relationships will become more important.

So letting go of pride is a lot like letting go of your ego. The result is going to be a much higher level of living — and love. 🙂