What have you done today to make you feel proud?

"What have you done today to make you feel proud? It's never too late to try."

- Heather Small

A few weeks ago I was surfing the web which I often do to unwind. I really enjoy discovering new music and new music videos. As I was clicking around I stumbled on a song that caught my ear. It was the "official" London 2012 Olympics song entitled "Proud". The chorus of that song repeats "What have you done today to make you feel proud?". It's a song that's been around for more than a decade but I hadn't heard it before. And in the weeks since my discovery it has become a mantra of mine.

What does it mean to do something every day to make you feel proud?

For me one of the proudest daily moments possible is if I've helped somebody. And this could be your proudest daily moment too! We each have unique gifts and have been granted a daily opportunity to put those gifts in the service of others. It doesn't have to be something grand or something very public either. For example, given my passion for mentoring, if I've helped someone move even one small step closer to fulfillment in their career I feel like I can be proud of my day.

The next line is a powerful idea too: It's never to late to try. That may sound self-evident but how many times have we all hesitated doing 'something right' because we didn't think it was worth it anymore? In mentoring discussions I've encountered people who thought it was too late in their careers to develop a new skill or switch into a different industry or become more technical. My response to that is a saying that my multi-lingual mother would repeat to me throughout childhood: "Il n'est jamais trop tard pour bien faire" which translates to "It's never too late to do a good thing".

Many times I've espoused the tremendous benefits of daily gratitude. I've also discussed how "your greatness is not what you have but what you give". Now I'm adding the notion of a daily action - doing something to make you feel proud. What are your gifts? What can you contribute?

If you'd like to hear the song "Proud" by Heather Small that inspired this post you can view it by clicking here.