Have you ever been so proud of yourself you could hardly stand it? That's how I feel about my most recent blog design, and I have to tell you, it's a terrific feeling. Sometimes I get online for a minute just to look at it again and smile.

I'm aware that our culture objects somewhat to outright statements of personal pride. We share a sort of mild taboo against looking too proud of oneself. I suppose this derives from the belief that humility is a virtue--a belief I happen to embrace. But I don't think feeling terrific about ourselves is the opposite of humility.

The virtue of humility is about knowing that we are all equal--that no one human being is more worthy of respect or compassion or opportunity than another. And pride as a virtue does not stand against this belief. Virtuous pride is not comparative; it is simply the joy of knowing that we are capable of great things--as is every other human being on the planet.

The next time you're thinking about undermining your own joy by downplaying your pride in your own accomplishments, don't. There's nothing wrong with feeling great about yourself. I wish everybody felt great about themselves. We all deserve it!

So go ahead--give yourself a shout out. What do you feel proud of?

EM Sky

"EM" Sky is the founding principal of Mind Unbound. She holds a B.A. in Intercultural Studies from Simon?s Rock College, an M.B.A. with concentrations in marketing and strategic management from The Georgia Institute of Technology, and a J.D. from Emory University, where she studied as a Woodruff Fellow. She has spent the past two decades investigating the subtle interplay between modern society and human nature.

From 1994 to 1997, EM worked for BellSouth IntelliVentures, where she managed the development of BellSouth's Internet Yellow Pages. Motivated by her research into cooperative thought environments, she organized marketing personnel, web development entrepreneurs, and database IT experts together as an integrated unit, building the new Internet directory business from the ground up.

Impressed with the success of the team, EM began to investigate the role of cooperative thought environments in every aspect of human life. Convinced that re-inventing the ?virtual environment? of human thought can transform life as we know it, she founded Mind Unbound to provide the benefit of her expertise to businesses, organizations, and individuals around the globe.