Pride comes before it!

Rejoice in Simple Things.

Those who flaunt themself is not illuminated.
Those who boast of their accomplishments undoes their merit.
Those who take pride in themself impede their own growth.

I learned many things from my father one of the most important came to me in the most unexpected way. He always told me to take pride in anything I was doing. never do something with the thought in your mind, "That will do fine." Usually, if you start from that position that which you accomplish will be not nearly as good as it might have been had you taken pride in what you were doing.

I therefore always felt pleased when my father told me that I had done a job well. Until one day. I had drawn something that he told me was very good. I felt marvellous because I did, in fact, think I had made an excellent job. Having watched me showing my drawing to two or three people he spoke to me in his quiet way, "I told you to take pride in what you did, I do not remember telling you to be proud about what you had done." He explained the difference to me.

In the Tao Te Ching, we can read, "Because he does not flaunt his brightness, he becomes enlightened. Because he is not self-important he becomes illustrious."

The very lesson my father was teaching me that day. Seek not pride. pride comes before a fall. 

I am sure I have spoken before of how my good friend Bert always brought me down to earth. if when we were playing golf together and I was in front at the turn he would make some comment like this. " I was talking to a member of yours. They were telling me Sunday's sermon was not one of your best." From then on my golf would go to pot, pride would be eating into my inner being and distracting me.

Former heavyweight boxer James Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. 

He tells it thus,"I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under my arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, "I'm going to conquer Chicago." "When I looked down, the suitcases were gone." 

That pride that took hold of him distracted his attention from his cases and in doing so he lost most of what he had already gained. 

A young woman asked for an appointment with her minister to talk with him about a sin about which she was worried. 

When she saw him, she said, "Minister, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realise that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?" 

The minister looked at her and replied, "Mary, that's not a sin, why that's just a mistake!" 

Anyone who travels to Edinburgh will find Edinburgh Castle a tower of seemingly insurmountable strength. But the truth is that the castle was once actually captured. 

The fortress had an obvious weak spot which defenders guarded, but because another spot was apparently protected by its steepness and impregnability, the Captain of the guard never posted sentries at that point.  He boasted he did not need to.

At an opportune time, an attacking army sent a small band of men up that unguarded slope and surprised the garrison into surrender. Where the castle was strong, there it was weak.  Where it was weakest was in the head of the proud Captain.

Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it. 

Take pride in the tasks of the day and have a wonderful day.