📢how to brag

I once had a smart friend who was very cryptic about what university he was going to after high school.

He was always “still looking” and “waiting for a response”. Soon, I dropped the question. Years later I found out he was attending Harvard University on a full scholarship. He hid the fact because he didn’t want to brag.

The problem is, when I found out, I hated him for it.

Hiding your success from others to “not brag” is its own form of bragging.

I’m guilty of this too, many introverts are.

Introverts hide their successes because they don’t want to come across as saying “I’m better than you”. The problem is, when people find out you hid your success they feel like you think you’re better than them. If you didn’t, why would you hide it? 

When my friend hid his scholarship to Harvard he was essentially saying: 

“This scholarship makes me better than you and I don’t want to make you feel bad so I’m going to hide it”

Hiding it isn’t the problem, it's that by hiding it he suggested his achievement made him a better person.

The solution?

Don’t hide it, acknowledge it as true, and let others celebrate your success with you.

To avoid bragging:

• Avoid inflating the achievement. Acknowledge it as true, and thank the people who congratulate you.

• Ground the achievement by talking about the struggles you faced to succeed.

• Talk only about YOUR experience. Don’t assume the experience of others.

Ex.

“9-5 jobs are terrible. Being my own boss is the best. (assumes all 9-5 jobs are bad, bragging)

Vs

“I never found my job very fulfilling so I’m glad to be working for myself. (says his 9-5 job was bad, not bragging)

The key is to not believe your success makes you better than others. 

Believing this offends others and makes you lazy because you feel like you’ve “made it”. The moment you start feeling like you’re better than others is when you start getting lazy. Think of the tortoise and the hair.

Be honest about your achievements and realize there is always more to go.

One thing that can always be improved is your communication skills.

If you want to become a master communicator and avoid other pitfalls like hiding your achievements then join the Chrisma Gym. It's like a gym for your social skills made specifically for introverts. It has value-packed courses and weekly practice calls to turn theory into skills.

It's free for the first 50 members and then I'll start charging monthly. Click HERE to secure your free lifetime membership.

That’s a wrap!

See you next Friday,

— Justus Bosch

P.S. when your friend hides their success from you...