There is a very thin line between self appreciation and self adulation. Sitting in between the two is pride. Appreciation and adulation both start with letter A, one is positive but the other has negative meaning. The tricky part is that only you can save yourself from self adulation. Beware of pride.
I gave a tip of an experience I had during my university days in a short message recently. There is a lot more to learn from the full story. I am glad I had that experience early in life. It taught me the danger in ego boosting.
I remember that the second semester was about to be concluded with the final exams in progress. We were in the bus commuting from the campus to town. Everything was going on well until a final year student, who was standing, jokingly requested for the seat of another student who looked too quiet to have been a returning student.
It started like a joke and we were going to laugh it off until the final year student started getting serious and attracted the attention of all the commuters. He insisted that it was utter disrespect for a new student to be sitting down while he, an about to graduate student, was standing.
He spent a lot of time praising himself for seeing it through to final year and reminded us that in a matter of days he would be a graduate. All these while, the unassuming lady kept her calm and didn’t utter a word. To rub it in, our guy demanded to see her identity card to prove that she was not a ‘JAMBite’ (a word we coined for newly admitted students in our days).
It takes humility and double dose of self control not to be provoked even when you are insulted. Some of us marveled at how the lady was able to keep her calm, even in the face of extreme provocation. Every other person in the bus became agitated on behalf of the lady but she was the least perturbed.
The lady was focused on her journey. She was not going to be distracted but she decided to respond to the challenge to show her identity card. She was a Youth Corper observing her NYSC. The first reaction from every other commuter in the bus was dead silence. I leave you to imagine what became of our friend for as long as the journey lasted.
That was the first time I knew that you only have to prove a point when you are yet to make the point. You don’t need too many words to prove a point that has been made. The unassuming lady had already made the point with her degree in her pocket.
Pat yourself on the back and give yourself kudos when you achieve a milestone. It is okay to blow your trumpet when you smash a goal but always remember that the line between self appreciation and self adulation is very thin, sometimes invisible. No matter how well you are doing, the ego in you will not let you rest, you will always see someone doing better than you. Please be humble.
©️akinjnr2021
