I grew up in a large family of competitive, talented people with big personalities. We achieved well in academics and music, and the peer pressure to “live up to the family name” drove us to excel and win many awards.
But one phrase you’d often hear from my family and religious upbringing was “don’t get a big head.” The clear message was that basking in your own glory would lead to arrogance. One way to counter that temptation was to be hard on yourself. Maybe that would cut you down to size, and it could motivate you to try even harder. Can you relate?
Years of life experience have taught me that this is not a productive approach. It’s much healthier to embrace and celebrate the talents that make you stand out. That takes courage, and it doesn’t need to result in arrogance. In fact, once you reconcile with your own greatness, it actually frees you up to get your eyes off yourself and serve others, unencumbered.
In this week’s podcast we’ll unpack the unintended downside of not embracing your talents, and what you can do to start moving forward.
I’d love to hear if and how you deal with this dynamic in your life. Comment below, or write to me at askpete@petecoaching.com
Free tools referenced in this episode:
Uncover your blind spots: http://www.petecoaching.com/blindspot
True Humility poster for download https://bit.ly/3jqjgoR
Thoughts on true Humility http://www.petecoaching.com/blog/2018/8/2/true-humility
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast platform.