The Value of Pride

“Dad, I was so proud, I was the only one who figured out the game today, and I participated the whole time!”

Olive was ‘jacked’ after leaving her evening Synthesis class (digital gamified school).

How cool would it be if this is what it sounded like at the end of a work day, family time, or any other daily activity… “I was so proud!”, “I crushed it!” or “I rocked!”

Pride in workmanship or behaviour is subjective, yet an amazingly effective metric for measuring effort.

When I taught shop class to Junior High and High School kids my most important question was always “Are you proud of your work?”. As everyone was starting off at a wide range of skills and abilities pride was the one metric that really cut through to the heart of the learning experience.

When the answer was a resounding “YES!” accompanied by a big smile, it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate all the great things about the project and all the new skills learned (even when it looked nothing like the blueprint... haha).

When the answer was “not really”, it was the sign to find a different type of project, or place that was a better fit for their interests and talents.

Ask yourself “Are you proud of the life you lived today?”

If the answer is yes, give yourself a pat on the back, if it is no, recalibrate and take on tomorrow with new vigor.

• Now that’s a peak ethos.