"La vanité et l'orgueil sont des choses différentes, bien que les mots soient souvent utilisés de manière synonyme. Une personne peut être fière sans être vaniteuse. L'orgueil se rapporte davantage à notre opinion de nous-mêmes, la vanité à ce que nous voud"

Pride and vanity are often mistakenly lumped together, but they’re really two different animals. Think of pride as your personal satisfaction in your own achievements. It’s about how you see yourself. Vanity, on the other hand, is all about how you want others to see you. You can be proud of something without flaunting it to the world—vanity craves that external validation.

Let’s rewind a bit. This quote comes from Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice," a book swimming in themes of character and social perception. Austen was keenly aware of the subtleties of human behavior and social dynamics. When she wrote this, she was making a profound observation about how we interact with our own self-image versus how we project it to others.

Picture this: You’ve just completed a marathon. Your pride in this achievement is internal. You know the hours of training, the discipline, the mental toughness it took. You don’t need anyone else to validate it for you because your sense of accomplishment is your own. Now, flip the coin to vanity. Imagine if you ran that marathon primarily to post about it on social media, fishing for likes and comments. The internal satisfaction is secondary, or maybe even absent. What matters more is the external applause.

Here’s where it gets practical. Take a moment to reflect on your recent achievements. Ask yourself: Am I doing this because it genuinely fulfills me, or am I aiming for others’ approval? It’s a tough question, but it helps sort out where your motivations lie. If you find yourself leaning towards vanity, that’s okay—awareness is the first step to recalibrating.

Let’s dive into a scenario to bring this home. Think about Sarah, a talented graphic designer. She loves her work and takes immense pride in her creative process and the final products she delivers to her clients. But then, she starts noticing a trend. She’s more excited about posting her designs on Instagram and counting the likes and comments than the actual design process. She realizes her joy and satisfaction are becoming tied to others’ reactions, rather than her own professional growth and passion for design.

So, what does Sarah do? She decides to take a step back from the social media buzz. She starts working on a project purely for herself—no intentions of sharing it online. She remembers why she fell in love with graphic design in the first place, reclaiming that sense of personal pride. And guess what? Her work improves because she’s doing it for herself, not for the virtual applause.

In your own life, keep that distinction in mind. It’s not about shunning all external validation—feedback can be valuable. But, make sure your core motivation is rooted in personal satisfaction and growth. When you achieve something, take a moment to relish it privately before thinking about sharing it. This helps keep pride and vanity in balance, ensuring you're grounded in your own achievements.

So next time you’re about to post that achievement or share that success, just pause. Ask yourself: Is this for me, or is it for them? It’s a small shift in mindset that can make a world of difference.