What you're ashamed of, proud of, and proud of *not* being.

[AstralDrip 67]

I'm sorry for the awkward title.

 

Anyway, lately I've been seeing a lot of posters mention their exceptions to love and tolerance, and it varied quite a bit from person to person.

I believe that everyone has good qualities as well as insecurities, so I thought it would be interesting if everyone in this topic posted three things truthfully:

 

1) what you're ashamed of.

 

2) what you're proud of.

 

3) what you're proud of *not* being (This is something or someone that you feel is somehow beneath you or not as good as you in some way).

 

You can answer each with as much or as little detail as you want. I don't intend for this topic to start a big argument or make anyone feel bad. I'm hoping that by reading other people's answers, it will support understanding and empathy towards other posters. Don't insult other posters based on their answers. Please answer the questions in order. Please answer every question.

 

Let me start with myself.

 

1) I'm an unmotivated person. It takes a lot of effort for me to move forward and get anything done, and I've spent far too much time doing nothing. I know it's my undoing and I'm making changes but I still have a lot of catching up to do.

 

2) I'm creative. I love trying something new and playing with my ideas. I try to find something charming and interesting in everything, and I feel like that's the source of my creativity. By keeping an open mind, I'm not afraid to be original.

 

3) I'm proud of not being a bigot. Now, I know this might seem like the easy way to answer this question, but I'm not saying that I never acted like a bigot. I'm just a normal person. I'm just proud that I consciously try to avoid being one. I always try to see things from other people's point of view. It's hard to know what will be insensitive to someone else of you can't emphasize with them.

 

I was debating on wether or not to answer the questions myself, but I thought it was only fair, although I feel like I might have sounded a little into myself.

 

Sorry it's tl;dr

Edited May 4, 2013 by AstralDrip

[Guest]

I'm ashamed of the fact that I'm pretty lazy, and fat and out of shape.

 

I'm proud to call myself a nerd, a brony, and a man of learning, I ask questions and don't blindly accept everything told to me, I'm proud to be a fan of great shows like doctor who and my little pony.

 

I'm proud of not being religious. Anytime I meet someone religious I automatically think less of them, because they have faith in their religion, and what is faith? Faith is belief without evidence. Why would you believe anything in the absence of evidence to support a claim? It's like saying that you're willfully ignorant, and that is sad. I'm proud that I am not stupid or willfully ignorant of the world around me.

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

1) I'm ashamed that I'm pretty unmotivated. I usually roll out of bed 5 minutes (not an exaggeration, either ) before my first class of the day, and usually waste a lot of my free time just lounging around. I have a lot of things I want to do - like draw or try learning about/making music - but when the free time comes, I just...bleh. And I waste my time lounging around. Seriously trying to break this habit, though.

 

2) I'm proud to be student pilot. I'm proud to be able to point at my flight bag (complete with a few pony pins) and say "this is what I do." Some people have sports. Some people have art or music. I have airplanes.

 

3) I'm proud that I'm not unhealthy. I'm in the middle of trying to lose weight and build muscle, and I'm proud that I am able to stick to my diet and exercise routine the way I am. It's a long road, but I'm holding steady, and I'm proud that I haven't wavered yet.

[NightOwl 912]

1. I'm ashamed that I don't have good a socializing ability and the result is I do not have many real life friends. 

 

2. I take pride in my ability to learn things really well and when I learn stuff I poor all of my energy into it. 

 

3. I'm proud of not being overly lazy I usually like to take a walk on a nice day . 

Edited May 4, 2013 by NightOwl

[Quilava 1,290]

1.) I'm ashamed that I'm such an overly self-critical person (tend to devalue my work). This tends to prevent me from displaying myself and showing what I'm actually good at.

 

2.) I'm proud that I have a large variation of interests/(slight) talents. Not too often do I find myself actually looking for something to do. My current (in the now) interests change depending on how much I spent on the previous. Helps to constantly develop in many fields.

 

3.) I'm proud that I'm not dirty/unorganized. I tend to have a schedule for important things and (even though my room isn't the most "organized") like to keep things organized in a way so that it's very easy for anyone to find anything. Organization will set you free as most would say 

[Keylise<3 488]

I'm ashamed of being an annoying person who always complains about everything.

 

I'm proud of... *thinks*

I'll get back to that :/

 

I'm proud of not being one of the "cool kids" who smokes etc.

 

Back to what I'm proud of. I'm proud of being an accepting person.

[Envy 6,169]

Okay, I'll be serious.

 

I'm ashamed that I was so thoughtless as to not have any real foresight as to the idea of my worst nightmares happening, and I'm even more ashamed that when they did I ignored them and now they're just worse. And yet I still, very stupidly, continue to ignore them. Because I want to live like everything's normal.

 

I'm proud of many things, but I suppose I'll go down the simple route and say that I'm proud that I play instruments as awesome as the bassoon and tenor saxophone. Because they're just that awesome, and very underrated in today's culture. I will always be a proud wind instrumentalist. (lol... Wait, according to Firefox's spell check "instrumentalist" is a real word. Hm...)

 

What I'm proud to not be is that I'm no longer a Christian. This has nothing whatsoever to do with me feeling like I'm better than anybody else, because I know I'm not. Sure, I don't understand how anybody holds to these beliefs anymore, but I did at one point. The reason I'm proud to not be a Christian anymore is because of what effect having the belief had on me. It sustained that "Everything will be fine, I can ignore this" mentality, because... "God will help me, or if he doesn't, there's always Heaven, where everything will be good". It greatly diminished the value of my life to me, to the point that I was comfortably able to ignore everything going on. Leaving this belief behind was a huge step for me. It was very courageous for me, because I thought if I went back to nonbelief I would literally lose it, having no hope left anymore.

 

However, on the flip side, here I am over a year after losing belief in God, and I haven't changed anything for the better. Perhaps because now I know I wasted all of those years and it's gone too far now.

[Scootalove 10,689]

1. I am ashamed of not being assertive.

 

2. I am proud of being a brony and an introvert.

 

3. I'm proud of not being a mean person at all.

[Avatar tag: shipping 299]

I am as ashamed of my shyness. Meeting new people is very hard for me. It's so bad to the point I have stayed away from parties and get-togethers so wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I've been getting much better, I like to think MLP had a part in it. But I'm far from the life of the party.

 

I'm proud to be an EMT. I get a rush every morning when I put on my uniform. I know that when the citizens are in trouble I'm the one that they call, hopefully making they're worst day a little brighter. I've brought new people into this world and I've seen people called home. And I can't wait until I can meet some of my former teachers (hopefully not when they call us), show them my badge, and show them that kids with ADHD can grow up to do great things and hopefully they won't give up on them like they did to me. (Sorry about that, that has been simmering down deep for quite a while.)

 

I'm proud not to be very religious. Being from the Midwest, I was often talked down to for not going to church. As a kid, I just saw it as a waste of a Sunday. As I got older, I just never saw the appeal. I like think that maybe there is something out there, but I'm not going to base my life around it. That being said I have seen miracles before. I've had a woman in asystole over 15 min come back, it's very rare in the field. Like I said, I like there's something out there. Exactly what that something is, I have no idea.

[Applejack25 38]

1.  I am ashamed of me having a hard time to trust due to my middle school years.

 

2.  I am proud of being a brony, straight-A student, a christian, and a talented clarinet player.

 

3.  I am proud not to be a snob like the majority of my school.

Edited May 4, 2013 by Applejack25

[kyoki wolfe 134]

1) I am ashamed of not being able to stay in a relationship for more than a week. I usually freak out and end it. 

2) I am proud of being a good singer (although I don't quite believe I am yet). My friends all tell me I'm pretty good.

3) And I'm proud of not being racist....cause I'm not. I respect all races. 

[Shanks 10,816]

1. I am ashamed that I have squandered so many opportunities I had and took so much for granted, if I didn't do that I wouldn't be in the mess I am in right now. But I have realized my mistakes and will fix them even if it kills me.

 

2. I am proud that I have overcome as much as I have despite life handing me quite a few curve balls, I was diagnosed with Autism at age 2 and the doctor said I would never get an IQ past 50, could turn into a vegetable at any time and recommended putting me in an institution. It was easy and it took many years of therapies and interventions and I still have a few challenges but I am now at the point where most people cannot tell I have ever had Autism.

 

3. I am proud that I am not a liar, I may be stubborn, set in my ways and a bit too brash at times but I can take pride that I am honest to myself by embracing who I am and not trying to be someone I am not and in my dealings with others.

Edited May 4, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy

[eightbithoof 518]

1) I'm ashamed of being absolutely unable to forgive. Ever. I've lost many friends to this... foible.

 

2) I'm proud of my ability to learn, grow and adapt. I can gain proficiency at anything and can survive and prosper through any challenge.

 

3) I'm proud that I'm not a hypocrite any longer. Admittedly, this is an ongoing process. I suspect that I may fall back into old habits if I'm not vigilant.

[Dzastur 1,719]

I'm ashamed of my general negativity when it comes to people and their weaknesses.

 

I'm proud of my striving not to be a hypocrite in light of this, and being able to turn the magnifying glass onto myself.

 

I'm proud of *not* being the person who can't recognise that first weakness for what it is...

[Celtore 2,770]

1) I'm ashamed of... Honestly, absolutely nothing. I am me and that's pretty much all there is to it. My shortcomings are my social skills (and evidently spell check), but im not really 'ashamed' of myself because of them.

2) I'm proud that I am slowly advancing on my dream to be a software developer and I had the courage to give chase. From the get go, things have been trying to discourage me from that path like the math and physics prerequisite program. I pulled through that year with flying colours despite this program focusing on my absolute worst highschool courses and I'm beginning to close in on my goal.

3) I'm proud that I'm not uncaring and mean and that I actually care for other people. I try to base my morals on Mr Rogers lifestyle because many of the traits that he displayed is exactly the type of person I want to be.

Edited May 4, 2013 by Celtore

[Discovery Dream 592]

1. I'm ashamed of the fact that I lounge around so much. I'd love to go outside and explore, but the only place where I can do that is a cemetery, so I escape instead through fiction like books and stories on the web.

 

2. I'm proud of how adventurous and childishly creative I am, hence why I love fiction so much. I create a lot of stories, characters, artwork, etc. and people like to hear what I have to say. This goes hand-in-hand with my awesome sense of humor, and I'm often the "funny guy" among my friends.

 

3. I'm proud that I'm not against homosexuals, abortion, etc. despite the fact that I am Christian. I keep my beliefs to myself and never push them on anyone else, respect and even find other religions to be pretty awesome, and never pressure anybody about their own lifestyles.

[Stellafera 3,836]

1. Hoo boy... I am ashamed that I'm annoying and attention seeking. I'm ashamed that I'm such a mood-swinging teenager sometimes. I'm ashamed that I'm such a coward about trying new things and embarrassing myself. I'm ashamed that I have no initiative when it comes to getting out of my comfort zone. I'm ashamed of my ridiculous and constantly fluctuating opinion of myself. I'm ashamed that I'm so ashamed of so many different things and can't actually be confident and comfortable with myself like almost anybody else I know. 

 

2. I'm proud of my mind and my strong sense of integrity. Even if it is a dual-edged sword (see my above self critical tendencies), I have an extremely strong conscience, and I proudly place myself as Lawful Good rather than Lawful Neutral on the alignment scale for this reason. I also take pride in my sense of humor, my eye for aesthetics, and my knack for ingenuity. 

 

3. I don't hate people. I don't restrict respect just to those who agree with me and share my ethics; I treat everybody like a human being and try to see things from their perspective. I think more kindly of my "enemies" than myself. I don't do deception. Do I lie? Yes. But you are always getting the real me all the time.

[Treeboy 418]

1. I'm ashamed of the fact that I have a marked inability to sympathize with others. People sometimes try to vent to me, and I don't have any means of comforting them unless I've been where they have. I pretty much just go completely wordless and never know what to say.

 

2. I'm proud of my abilities musically, on saxophone and in FL Studio (and I'm not promoting my work in the latter area here either *wink*).

 

3. I'm proud of not conforming. I've seen and heard it happen constantly: people making incredibly rash decisions because they want to live in the moment without thinking of the numerous repercussions that go along with them.

[Commander Urdnot 2,680]

1. I'm ashamed of being too analytical and suspicious of both the world and the people in it. So much that I find it impossible to trust anyone or anything in it, even if I want to.

 

2. I am proud of being intelligent, versatile, skeptical, imaginative, open-minded, and individualistic.

 

3. I am proud that I am not close-minded, ordinary, conventional, drab, or boring.

[Blackcat 205]

I am as of this date, shameless! I've done things that I might do differently if I could go back, but i'm certainly not ashamed of them. I made my choices and i'll live with it.

 

I'm proud of my unshakable calm. hardly anything riles me up and i'm pretty good at keeping a level head. I can't recall the last time I was angry.

 

I'm proud that i'm not bound by my body. I'm gender fluid and I love it. Admittedly, I feel kind of bad for those who cannot shake the binds of body image. Also...makes understanding transgendered people kind of difficult for me, since for me the issue is as simple as a change of wardrobe and letting one side of me flow more than the other. <.< Doesn't mean I don't love my trans friends. I'm just on a different page than you folks.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I'm ashamed at the fact that I have a hard time getting along with other people.

 

I'm proud to be a brony, metalhead and an independent thinker.

 

I'm proud to NOT be part of any form of organized religion. I don't need that stuff.

[Mio Akiyama 145]

1. I'm ashamed of my laziness and or unwillingness to do some things. If I didn't have these qualities, I'd be on top of the world right now

2. I'm proud of my intelligence, style(yes, really), uniqueness, personality, how assertive I can be(I hate being pushed around, and I WILL let you know either by telling you or beating you up depending on circumstances)

3. I'm proud of not being one of the swaggots. I swear I hate them with such a passion. I'm also proud of not being labeled(I'm not am emo, hipster, etc.)

 

Like I said, if it weren't for my laziness and unwillingness to do things, I'd be on top of the world right now.

[~The Doctor~ 20]

I'm ashamed that I haven't followed my dreams yet, even though it'd take one word to kick it off.

 

I'm proud of my musical taste, my abilities and my inherent skill.

 

I'm proud that I'm not a smoker, like oh so many kids these days.

[hawkflame 3,310]

I am ashamed of being a doormat.  Whcih is why FLuttershy is one of my least favorite in the Mane Six, she's a reflection of that aspect of myself and I don't like it.

 

I am proud of my intelligence and analytical ability.

 

I am proud NOT to be one of these guys, given that I'm from New Jersey:

 

[Ghost 173]

1- I'm ashamed of not putting a lot of effort into maintaining friendships in the past.  I'm trying to change this now though.  

 

2- I'm proud of myself in general.  I know this may sounds cocky, but when I was younger I hated myself for various reasons, mostly cause I was bullied a lot and believed everything people said about me.  I didn't like that feeling, so I joined sports teams and clubs and eventually became more confident.  Now I like where I am in my life and who I've become over the years. 

 

3-  I'm proud of not being mean/ a douche.  Sometimes I might joke around, but if I end up hurting someones feelings I feel terrible about it.