Are You Using The Toxic Pride Killer?

Jun 05, 2023 2:01 pm

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Having Toxic Pride can ruin our relationships with others. For this reason, I wish to address this matter and assist people in defeating their Toxic Pride. However, the method for overcoming it, which I call the Toxic Pride Killer, is difficult for most people to execute. What exactly is this Toxic Pride Killer? Allow me to elaborate further.


I'LL FIND A WAY TO GET KICKED OUT

When I was 12 years old, a year after my daddy abandoned us, my mama signed us up for a summer program at the Neighborhood Center. I hated her decision because I would have rather spent my summer playing video games in the comfort of our home. Even though I objected, my mother remained firm in her decision. Therefore, I decided to try and figure out a way to get myself kicked out of the program.


Every day, my mother would take us to the Neighborhood Center for their program. The activities involved children running around, playing basketball, and engaging in various games such as logos or cards. I did not enjoy attending because I would rather have been at home playing video games.  However, I hadn't found a way to get myself kicked out of the program until the program director, Ms. Solomon, angered me.


MS. SOLOMON'S EXPULSION OPPORTUNITY

One day, Ms. Solomon, a strict woman in her late fifties who was known for her adherence to rules, caught me in the act of throwing a basketball at the conference center wall.


She immediately demanded that I stop by yelling in her authoritative voice, "Gene, stop throwing that ball at the wall!" Her voice tone annoyed me, so I chose to disregard her and proceeded to throw the ball off the wall. This resulted in her shouting, "GENE I SAID STOP BOUNCING THAT BALL OFF THE WALL". I briefly stopped and looked at her before continuing.


In a fit of anger, Ms. Solomon aggressively approached me, seized my arm and said, "I KNOW YOU HEARD ME." I yelled back "LET MY ARM GO YOU STUPID B%@#$." Getting called a female dog only fueled her anger, causing her to grab my other arm and confront me by sternly asking, "What did you call me?" I looked her in the eyes and said fearlessly, "A STUPID B%@#$".


MY TOXIC PRIDE WOULDN'T LET ME

After Ms. Solomon regained her composure, she said, "I'm going to call your mama, you will not be coming back to this program." I was thrilled with my expulsion from the program because that meant I would be at home playing video games.


However, when my mama arrived and was told what had occurred, she became very upset and demanded that I apologize to Ms. Solomon. Despite her demand, I refused to apologize because my Toxic Pride wouldn't allow me.


My mama apologized to Ms. Solomon on my behalf and then said to me "Even though you got yourself kicked out of this program, that doesn't mean you will be sitting at home playing video games all day." When we got home, she locked the games up which left me bored at home every day for the rest of the summer.


EXECUTING THE TOXIC PRIDE KILLER

Five years passed, and I had completely erased the memory of my rude encounter with Ms. Solomon. I was employed as a grocery sacker at a store and while sacking a customer's groceries, I noticed Ms. Solomon standing in life waiting to pay for her groceries. My heart started pounding because I remembered that due to my Toxic Pride, I had never apologized to her for my disrespectful behavior.


When Ms. Solomon reached the cash register, she greeted me by asking "How are you doing, young man?" It occurred to me then that she did not recognize me as I had grown up. I responded by asking, "You don't remember me do you?" After looking at me closely, she said, "You do seem familiar, but I cannot recall where I know you from." I revealed myself to her by saying, "I'm Gene, Betty's son, you kicked me out of the summer program at the Neighborhood Center 5 years ago."


She inhaled deeply and said, "Now I remember you Gene and you have grown a lot since our last encounter." I decided to kill my Toxic Pride by saying, "Ms. Solomon, I'm sorry for calling you a Stupid B%@#$".


To my surprise, she became visibly emotional and said, "I prayed that one day you would turn your life around, so you didn't end up in prison or worse. I accept your apology but most importantly I'm proud of the young man you have become."


IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO EXECUTE

It took me 5 years to execute the Toxic Pride Killer, and that is saying "I'm Sorry" for my offense towards another. The moment when I said sorry to Ms. Solomon made me understand that true strength is not shown by showing Toxic Pride, but rather by apologizing to others for what we have done.

It's my hope that my experience with Ms. Solomon will inspire you to execute the Toxic Pride Killer in your life by apologizing to those whom you have wronged. True strength lies in admitting your mistakes and in your willingness to apologize for those mistakes.


While it's hard to overcome Toxic Pride, it's important if you want to reach your full potential, so I encourage you to execute the Toxic Pride Killer in your life because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!


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