Don't Undersell Yourself

One of my favorite qualities of my husband is his humility. The guy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University, is good at pretty much anything he tries, and is a Naval Aviator for a living. Yet, when he is having a conversation with someone, if he is not an expert, he will lead with "I don't know anything on this, but...". 

I feel like I have had a habit in the past of speaking for 10 minutes straight on a subject I know almost nothing about. I'm quick to talk and slower to listen, and I don't like that quality. I started trying to take a page out of my husband's book and lead with "I'm no expert..." or something like that, but I realized recently I took it to another level. 

Instead of humbly talking about accomplishments or things I knew, I shortchanged myself. The other day, I made a joke about never opening up a book to study in high school and not trying. I thought about that conversation later, and it ate at me. In reality, I did try in high school. I tried a lot. I took almost all AP classes and graduated in the top 7% of my class while playing tennis all four years. 

Here's another example: when people compliment Preston's behavior or accomplishments, my first response is "oh it's nothing I did". He is a sweet boy by nature, but his good behavior is most certainly due a lot in part to something I did. I am the one home with him all day, and as great of a dad as Parker is, he works long hours and isn't always around. Our son knows sign language, knows how to do a couple of chores, and is (normally) a very sweet and well behaved little boy, and I taught him a lot of that. 

I'm not saying the answer is to walk around broadcasting how awesome you are, but instead of me saying "oh it's nothing I did" when someone compliments Preston, I need to proudly say "thank you". Instead of saying I never opened a book in high school, I need to say "I studied and tried my best". 

It's a trivial concept, but I think a lot of people have a habit, like I do, of underselling themselves. Own your accomplishments. Be proud of your work. There is a happy medium between bragging and discrediting, and I am consciously trying to choose it.