Proud of You Day: Because All Holidays Are Made Up Anyway
Let’s celebrate a new holiday in service of others. We all need and deserve a little recognition from time to time.
On March 2, 2022, Tabatha Myers posted this tweet:
This idea floored me; most “holidays” are either steeped in centuries of religious tradition and nationalistic pride or embedded with nonsense commercialism. For example, some other holidays listed for March 2nd include National Banana Cream Pie Day, National Old Stuff Day, and National Walter Day — literally celebrated for men named Walter.
While the actual merits of holidays like National Walter Day can be easily disputed by many, the fact remains that someone recognizes them. I like banana cream pie, too, but to save March 2nd for this dessert has little purpose beyond silliness. It degrades the idea of a holiday being something unique and significant.
But as Tabatha proclaimed in her initial tweet, “All holidays are made up.” Therefore, Proud of You Day, held annually on March 2nd, is “a day for telling people you are proud of them for any little thing you admire or you brag about something you did that no one noticed.”
I’d argue that being proud of the people in your life is something that most individuals feel, but few genuinely express. I’m as guilty of this as anyone else, so the idea of a day designated solely to expressing those feelings of pride and gratitude really spoke to me. We should all feel and express pride for the efforts and contributions of others, directly and specifically.
Being proud of a friend or loved one goes beyond “I like you and what you do.” Being proud of someone calls to light an action or attribute that sets them apart from others, no matter how small. Specifics are key!
On Proud of You Day 2023, I expressed pride in some of my best friends from high school, with whom I was in a band for several years, because they are still writing music together twenty years later! It may seem like a simple hobby to them, but I believe that following through on something they’ve enjoyed for over two decades is something of which they should be proud. None of these friends are pursuing music professionally, but they have continued to build and grow as creative, expressive individuals. I am proud of their persistence.
One month after Tabatha posted about Proud of You Day for the first time, she received and accepted an offer for a job that took her from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. She uprooted her life in pursuit of something new and better, and I was immensely proud of her for it. She took a chance in the face of a scary proposition and thrived. I am proud of her courage.
Expressing pride in the specific accomplishments of others is incredibly important in making them feel seen. Everyone endures their own struggles every single day and simple acknowledgement is often a great way to uplift those around you.
Are you feeling proud of anyone right now? You should tell them! A quick text, email, or phone call is enough, and I promise you will positively alter that person’s day or week.
The beauty of Proud of You Day is the even split between sharing pride in others and expressing self-pride. Are you feeling a little proud of yourself right now? You should tell yourself.
Being proud of your accomplishments, especially in the face of adversity, is essential to growth; feeling proud is the fastest way to build yourself up and acknowledge how far you’ve come. Take a moment to consider a challenge you’ve recently overcome and give yourself a congratulatory smile; you’ve earned it.
You’ve also earned the right to tell others. Your friends want to see you succeed and they want to know about your growth.
If you Google the word pride, you will see a question several times on the first search page: “Is pride good or bad?”
In Catholic teachings, the perplexity of self-pride being a bad thing coincides with it being labeled one of the Seven Deadly Sins. These were popularized by a host of literature like the classic Dante’s Inferno and gruesomely portrayed in movies like Se7en. The cardinal sins were used as misguided tools to move Catholics away from an “evil life” and toward humility in their pursuit of living “good, selfless lives.”
Can too much pride be harmful? Sure. Does it have to be? Absolutely not.
Being proud of oneself recognizes the hard work we all put in to succeed in whichever way success looks to each individual. Pride is not selfishness. Spend some time this week thinking about something hard you accomplished recently, and settle into and acknowledge the pride you feel because of it.
Proud of You Day may never expand beyond our small circle of friends, and that’s ok. But I believe it should catch on and grow, a sentiment shared by Mr. Rogers.
In the last episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, aired on August 31, 2001, Fred Rogers spoke directly to his audience, as he had for so many years, saying, “I’m proud of you, you know that. I hope you do.”
We should all be proud of our work and contributions to the world and each other; we should also ensure that we express our pride in our loved ones, neighbors, and ourselves.
Happy Proud of You Day. I’m proud of you.
