I don’t know who needs to hear it, but people can spot humblebragging a mile away. So, rather than trying to downplay your achievements and skills, it’s better to speak about them openly and confidently. Of course, there is a reason people see bragging in a negative light, but in certain cases, it is important to acknowledge your accomplishments, which are essential for your growth.
However, due to the fear of being perceived as narcissistic, people tend to exchange it for something more modest while still seeking validation. These occurrences don’t go unnoticed and end up being shared on the r/humblebragsubreddit. Hopefully, these examples will teach us to strike a balance between recognizing our accomplishments and being humble.
Let’s aim to communicate confidently, honestly, and with authenticity.
To learn more about where it is acceptable to brag and how to do it appropriately,Wegot in touch withPeggy Klaus, the author of two best-selling books,BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing ItandThe Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish They’d Learned Sooner. Read the full interview below.
More info: peggyklaus.com | Facebook | Twitter
#1 A Wholesome Humble Brag, But A Humble Brag Nonetheless
#2 Yup, He’s Really Humble This One
#3 The Resemblance Is Uncanny
As one of America’s most sought-after communication and leadership experts, Peggy emphasized the importance of distinguishing between good and bad bragging behaviors and explained how good bragging can be appropriate and effective in various situations. “I want to be clear that talking about yourself does not imply arrogance or boastfulness. That is a result of bad bragging behaviors such as talking incessantly, never asking about others, interrupting, bringing the conversation back to you, condescending, exaggerating, and lying, among others. Good bragging is subtle and seamlessly works its way into business and social interactions. And there are many situations where you should be bragging, the good way: conferences and networking events, friends’ parties (you never know who might be looking for a great employee), interviews, and performance reviews. With the latter, you should be fully prepared with a robust collection of information about your work, goals, achievements, and things your clients and colleagues have said about you. If you have received your review prior to a conversation with your boss, make sure you address their feedback,” wrote Peggy Klaus.
#4 Dudes Twitter Is A Goldmine For This S**t
#5 “Failed” Attempt At Icing Bragging To Beginners
#6 A Guy I See Regularly On The Elevator Where I Live Had This Slip Out Of His Pocket And Casually Said, “Oh, Sorry You Had To See That.” He Then Left It On The Elevator When He Got Off
Lots of individuals, due to the stigma of bragging, might seem unable to promote themselves. If you, too, experience this, Peggy advises reframing the perception of bragging. “First, you have to be open to letting go of the old perception of BRAG as a four-letter word and reframe it as taking pride in yourself. Just like you tell others you love to be proud of yourself, you need to do that for yourself. And then BRAG, the good way: share something truthful about yourself, either personally or professionally, in an energetic and conversational manner which creates interest and excitement in your audience.”
#7 Crying Emoji
#8 I Am So Grateful
#9 So Pretty And Not Even Trying
However, Peggy, like many others, expressed her dislike for humblebragging and encouraged individuals to own and express their accomplishments with confidence. She wrote: “I find humblebragging to be annoying because what the person really wants to say is ‘I’m really pleased and proud of this accomplishment’ but instead frames it with ‘faux shyness’: Example: ‘It was embarrassing (but cool too) to be singled out yesterday by our CEO for my work with Girls Inc.’”
“Instead, own it and say ‘It was wonderful to be acknowledged yesterday by our CEO in our town hall for the work my team and I do with Girls Inc. Thank you, (CEO name).’”
#10 Horrible Attempt At Humble Bragging…
#11 Haha Even When I’m Ugly I’m Hot Haha Lmao
#12 Ugh My Screen Time Is So High
There are various myths surrounding bragging, which can lead to individuals resorting to humblebragging or failing to acknowledge their accomplishments altogether. “There are so many misconceptions, or what I call ‘bragging myths’ that result from our cultural, religious, and familial backgrounds: if you do good work, you will be recognized and rewarded, it’s a sin, it’s not nice, nice girls don’t do it, people won’t like you, etc. The truth is that if you don’t let people know about your successes, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and your value to the company, you will stall and/or derail your career. I have seen too many people passed over for stretch assignments, promotions, and bonuses because they didn’t let people know.”
“Identifying the bragging myths that you are holding on to is the first step in addressing them: your reticence to talking about yourself. Then, follow the steps in the book for creating brag bites, bragologues, fly-bys, and a brag bag so that you can be ready when the situation calls for it,” shared Peggy.
#13 …i Found One In The Wild…
#14 Maddie Ziegler With Jimmy Kimmel
#15 It Is So Difficult Being Such A Milf!
Being unable to brag is a problem many people face; however, women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and neuro-diverse individuals face additional challenges. “In my 20 years of teaching thousands of people the art of bragging, I have found many men who have difficulty bragging. Yet, women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and the neuro-diverse face even greater challenges with self-promotion due to conscious and unconscious bias and a narrower band of acceptable behavior and communication. In addition to exploring their own personal barriers, these communities must discern their organization’s attitude toward self-promotion, and create short, pithy entertaining communications (I call these bragologues and fly-bys) that will resonate with their audiences,” shared Peggy.
#16 Way Too Many Scholarships
#17 Does This Count?
#18 I Can’t Stop Cringing
And lastly but not least, Peggy shares her excitement that you might be interested in. “I am very excited about my new program,“Bragging beyond Bias,” Stepping up, Speaking up and Succeeding as your true self.”All of us face biases, but for people of color, women, LGBTQ and the neuro-diverse, self-promotion comes with even greater challenges. Participants learn how to attract and retain a diverse group of associates, build an effective culture of celebrating accomplishments, and become a champion for setting open collaborative environments.”
#19 Just Tired Of Always Being An Alpha
#20 From Whisper
#21 My Friend’s Oopsie
#22 My First Encounter
#23 Friend Is Mad His $1,280.00 Hoodie Isn’t Warm Enough On His Trip To Alaska
#24 Doesn’t Look A Day Over 50 In My Opinion
#25 Valedictorian But Also R/Ihavesex
#26 Damn, Ed, That Must Be So Hard For You…
#27 He’s Learning How To Be Humble
#28 Lady Gaga With That Hard Flex
#29 Wow! Must Be Hard To Be That Smart
#30 Elon Musk Humble Brag
#31 Is This A Humble Brag?
#32 From A Adventure Motorcycle Group On Fb. Original Post Was Asking People To Post Pictures Of Their Moto Related Tattoos
#33 Thank You Random Facebook Dude, Very Cool…
#34 Reddit Can You Tell Me Why I’m So Hot And Irresistible??
#35 Yep, That Will Definitely Help
#36 Truly In Awe Of This Legendary Humblebrag
#37 Guy Goes To Gordon Ramsey Restaurant And Acts Like A Food Critic When He Doesn’t Know What A Z Score Is
#38 I’m Just Too Nice It’s Socially Unacceptable
#39 Straight Up Bragging
#40 Well Alright
#41 Oh No! I Messed With My Brother’s Psych Project!
#42 Does This Count?
#43 Okay?
#44 This Old Car Is Cool, But Not As Cool As The One I’m In. It Costs A Lot Of Money In Case You Didn’t Know
#45 “I’m Still The Man”
#46 Rolled My Eyes So Hard It Cracked My Neck
#47 He Even Said, Be Humble
#48 A Professor At My School Posted This
#49 Look At What A Great Person I Am !
#50 No? Just Me?
#51 So Forgetful
#52 I Literally Get Offers For Employment Probably Five Times A Week
#53 “I Can’t Hide Things Very Well, Can I?”
#54 Gold Eggs For Sale!
#55 Ninja The Humblest
#56 It’s A Reoccurring Problem Guys
#57 It’s A Hard Life
#58 How Hard It Is To Be Sooo So Smart
#59 Hate When This Happens
#60 I’m Intense
#61 How To Fix It
#62 Guys I Did A Thing, Nbd
#63 8th Language Lmao
#64 Double Brag
#65 Gardiel
#66 Not Sure If This Fits. My Friend Thinks Very Highly Of Her Looks. She’s A Instagram “Self-Proclaimed” Model
#67 You Can Just Tell He’s Ready To Mention This At Any Time, Any Place
#68 This Guy Posted A Paragraph And Half Of It He’s Just Jacking Himself Off
#69 Omg Crying
#70 Savage Student Athlete
#71 How Sweet
#72 Leave Him Alone Guys
#73 “Lost Count Around 300”
#74 Posted To An Article About A Kid Getting Food Poisoning
#75 What A Nightmare It Must Be
#76 Only Three Languages?!
#77 I Love This Guy His Stories Always Make Me Laugh Considering He Lives In His Moms Basement
#78 Not So Humble In The Middle But Got There In The End
#79 Posted By A Well Known Fitness Entrepreneur. Equal Parts Obnoxious And Irresponsible
#80 This Guy Hasn’t Played High School Baseball In 15 Years But He’s Always Posting Stuff Like This
#81 I Cant Tell If This Is Humble…
#82 Tiktok Is Wild
#83 Interviews?!
#84 Pretty Mild Tho..
#85 My Day Was Going Great Until This Guy Flexed On Me With His Retweets And Blackheads
#86 Completely Necessary
#87 Life Is Just So Hard
#88 Oh Goodness Lol
#89 Bruh
#90 “When I Text My Sister Lmao”
#91 As A Head Girl, I Got Only 97%
#92 Saw This On Twitter. Tough Being Famous
#93 Just Got Another Husband
#94 Guys Everyone Texting Me Straight Away Omg
#95 “I Had Both But Love The Meme”
#96 It’s So Hard To Clean My Big House…
#97 Couldn’t Help Himself
#98 You Could Never Imagine Her Potential
#99 Oh No! Not Again!
#100 Oh No I’m Too Nice!
#101 I Got AirPods
