MSI Press Blog

  People often use pleased and proud as if they mean the same thing. They don’t. And the difference matters. To be pleased is to feel satisfaction — a gentle, inward acknowledgment that something went well. It’s a momentary warmth, a sense of harmony between effort and outcome. You’re pleased when a plan works, when a child behaves kindly, when a project turns out right. It’s gratitude mixed with relief. To be proud , though, is something larger. Pride carries identity. It says, this achievement reflects who I am. Pride ties the result to the self — to strength, perseverance, or principle. It’s not just “that went well,” but “I did that.” Pride can be noble, when it honors integrity and effort. It can also turn dangerous, when it forgets humility and becomes self‑inflation. The two feelings often overlap, but they point in different directions: Pleased Focuses on the event or outcome Has a gentle, grateful tone Fades naturally once the moment passes Proud Focuses on the self an...

  Excerpt from A Woman's Guide to Self-Nurturing by Joanna Romer - How to Figure Out What Pleases You You know what your mother likes; ditto your daughter and your best friend. But do you really know what warms your soul? What single thing or combination of factors is necessary to soothe your inner being? Often we don’t know—a family reunion may bring tears of joy to your sister Gillian, but it leaves you cold. Your next door neighbor Amy thrives on frequent trips to the mall, but you’d rather drive to an out-of-the way antique store and shop for a “find.”  Every woman is different, and we make a mistake when we tag along on someone else’s pleasure jaunt thinking it’s ours too (unless of course our purpose is to give that person a treat). If our goal is to please ourselves, we need to plumb to the bottom of our consciousness and discover that special something that brings us joy. The good news is, the older we get the easier it is to figure this out, simply by the proces...