Don't Undersell Yourself | Anchors Aweigh

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August 8, 2018

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. 


2 comments :

  1. I love this so much, Chelsea! I think it's easy to forget that humility means accepting praise and recognizing our own strengths, too. I'm so glad you're focusing on doing so because you're raising an amazing little guy there!

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  2. I love this! It's so important to be proud of your accomplishments! Never sell yourself short.

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