GNT #124: Humility and pride can coexist

read time: 4 minutes

When the work you care about starts making a real impact... it can feel both incredible and overwhelming.

You feel proud, because the thing you started is creating change. But you hesitate to own that pride, because it feels too big, too personal, too close to ego.

I get it.

In 2020, I was a catalyst in the idea and launch of CIOs Against Cancer, a purpose-driven community that has now raised millions for early-stage cancer research. It’s deeply meaningful to me — not just professionally, but personally. My mom passed away from colon cancer when I was 13.

These days, I support the community in a volunteer role. At the most recent event, I was sitting quietly in the back of the room, just observing.

And I found myself in tears.

Looking around at a full room bursting with people all raising their hands in support to fight the disease that took my mom — and shattered my world back in 1997...

It was beautiful. It was humbling. It was bigger than me.

So yes, it feels big.

And I found myself wrestling with how to acknowledge that impact — how to stand in the reality of what I was a catalyst for, without shrinking it.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between humility and pride, today’s newsletter is for you.

We’ll explore why both can and should coexist in a healthy way — so we can keep driving change forward, and 4 ways to own your impact while staying grounded in purpose.

Let’s dig in.

Why we struggle with this

Pride can feel complicated.

Especially when you’re purpose-driven. You care deeply about the work and not the spotlight. And you didn’t build what you built for recognition. You built it because it mattered. Because you saw a need and stepped up.

But here’s what I realized, grappling with both feelings:

Shrinking your impact doesn’t make you more humble.

It just hides the very proof that your work is meaningful.

Researcher and author Brené Brown said, “Don’t shrink. Don’t puff up. Just stand your sacred ground.”

I love that. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about here.

It's a feeling that's less about confidence — and more about alignment.

You can be rooted in humility and still stand in the truth of what you've helped bring to life.

4 ways to hold both humility and pride

Here are four simple mindset shifts and actions to help you own your impact — without ego.

1. Let it land

Yep, sit with it. It’s so easy to move on to the next thing. To downplay what’s working. To deflect when someone says, “You built something amazing.”

But let it land.

You don’t need to put it on a billboard. But you do need to acknowledge that it happened. That you made a real difference. That someone is better off because you took action.

Try this:
Write down 3 ripple effects of something you've built or done.
What changed for others because you followed through?

2. Shift from “I did this” → “This happened because I showed up.”

Yes, there were others involved. Yes, it’s bigger than just you.

But don’t skip over the fact that you were a catalyst. You took the risk. You made the early decisions. You gave something shape when it was still just a scribble on a napkin.

You didn’t get lucky. You took action. You showed courage.

Try this:
Think about a recent win. Instead of brushing it off, ask:
What part of this happened because I showed up when it counted?

3. See yourself as a conduit

Movements don’t need heroes. They need catalysts.

The impact you’re creating isn’t about you. But it wouldn’t have happened without you, either.

That’s the paradox. That's what I was wrestling with, when I realized you can hold both truths. And when you do, you’re more equipped to bring others in, lift others up, and keep the momentum going.

Try this:
Celebrate someone who’s taken the torch from you. (pssst... JENICA!)
Acknowledge their role in building what’s next. 

4. Let it fuel you forward

When you build something that works, it’s proof of what’s possible. Don’t use that moment as a finish line. Use it as a reminder. Put it in a receipts file, your proof of what's possible.

You can make change.
You do know how to start something real.
You have made an impact before.

Let that be your evidence the next time doubt creeps in. 

Try this:
Name one idea, initiative, or impact you want to pursue next —
something that only feels possible because of what you’ve already done.

To my CIOs Against Cancer crew — you’ve reminded me what happens when quiet courage leads the way. Thank you for being part of something that continues to grow bigger than all of us.

Takeaway

Owning your impact doesn’t mean leading with ego.

It means standing in the truth that something meaningful happened — and you showed up when it counted.

Pride and humility aren’t opposites. They’re partners in purpose.

So if your work has made a difference, don’t shrink from that truth. Let it ground you. Let it fuel you.

Let it show others what’s possible when purpose meets action.

I’m always rooting for you. See you again next week.

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If you liked this article, you might also like:

GNT #104: The Let Them Theory
GNT #098: Attending to the Ending
GNT #096: The Power of Self-Worth Theory

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