Despite being a society who has grown very comfortable oversharing every element of our lives on social media, we don’t seem to be comfortable with celebrating our accomplishments.
It’s not something we just tweet about, casually. We don’t want to be seen as ‘bragging’. We’ve been conditioned to play small for such a long time, that it feels very strange to blow our own trumpet.
But why did we get so scared about sharing what we’re proud of?
There’s many reasons people are scared of owning their wins. It could be due a negative history of relatives putting them down, or trolls doing the same thing if you shared something on the Internet.
But these external opinions come from people who simply don’t know the truth of the matter and everything it took for you to get there.
The whole point of any of this is to own your achievements, so on the inside you know what you’re about, what you can do and how far you can go.
And if you believe in your work, then other people will too. If you demonstrate results in your field or area, then people will buy into you – because there’s something to buy into. If you tell them nothing, then they will go with just that – nothing. By talking openly about your accomplishments, you have a greater chance of being remembered and not forgotten.
Staying quiet also means that your bank balance could suffer. Taking credit for your accomplishments, means there’s more chance of getting the promotion, or winning that client. Being visible means people notice you and so being too humble could actually cost you.
Imposter syndrome:
Imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a phony—as though at any moment you are going to be found out as a fraud—like you don’t belong where you are, and don’t deserve what’s happening. This creates a disconnect from achievement and it’s happening to many of us.
You have to account for the facts when imposter syndrome takes over. Without your skills, personality and flaws, that achievement wouldn’t have happened. That’s why they’re called achievements, because you earn them. They don’t just happen. To not consider this, is to avoid taking responsibility for what you’ve done. It’s not just your mistakes you have to responsibility for.
So go on, if someone asks you about your achievements, then tell them. And share them, even if they don’t. After all, if you don’t celebrate them, who’s going to?