What do you feel about BRAGGING and SELF-PROMOTION?

Oh, yes! My guy and I have this discussion, quite often. He brags about himself sometimes, more I think looking for confirmation, and attention. But I tell him, if you really knew you were great, and everything you say you are, you would just know that people knew that, and you wouldn't have to say it, because if you really were that confident, you'd be confident that everyone else already knows these things as well. So, I agree with the quote very much. Good discussion! +

A lot depends on the company you are with. If I am with familiar people, I can brag. Everyone sees it the right way - it's just a manner of speech. We all have a good laugh and no one will think I am arrogant or what. If I am with just acquaintances or strange, then I would put up my most humble self. I won't even make reference to the things I may be good at unless they ask first.

The statement is relative to how you feel about yourself. A person who stands up on stage and sings flat as a tack, yet only hears his/her own voice as a beautiful instrument. It is then pointed out to the singer that her beautiful instrument is not appreciated. Who has the problem here? That 'flat' songster believes they are GREAT and are expressing themselves to the world. This question is thought provoking because it requires turning inward and judging oneself. We can be absolutely mediocre in the eyes of a perfectionist, the perfectionist is not content with his life and will judge a more 'lowly' person as lacking. Yet the lowly person seen as mediocre can be in a totally blissful state, content with their achievements, their abilities. They love themselves as they are. So who has the problem? Who is GREAT? It is true that you will attract to you praise and adulation if you are pleased with your own accomplishments. Being pleased with your own accomplishments, you have no need of praise from outside yourself. Those that seek outside adulation are lacking in self praise of their own abilities. Yet are we measured by what we do or who we are? Then assuming we are not at the stage of self praise in our life, then for someone who has not accomplished great things, yet takes steps to climb the road to success then to be praised is of course going to help with self-esteem. It's wonderful to be given encouragement where needed. Self-promotion at this level is not a bad thing as it is a way of instilling your own sense of accomplishments. It's like stepping back and telling yourself - Hey, I've done a great job here". To achieve balance one often has to climb to the opposite end of the spectrum before resting in the centre. A person who brags is often very insecure and needs outside adulation to make them feel good.

I am great, I know it , you know and everyone here knows it.lol. After all I am marrying mylot. lol. OK to answer your question seriously. I grew up in a family and was told not to brag. BUT I also saw another family where the mothers encouraged their children to flaunt their attributes. These children went on to be very successful . So i n my little mind. I decided to to tell my children how great they were and to be proud of who they are. I think they are doing wonderfully now. My oldest joined the army and is in South Korea. My middle son is in college in Seattle. My youngest son graduated high school with honors as did the other two. So I honestly think its better to build someone up and make them KNOW they are great. Than to make them hide it.

Yes,it's not uncommon to encounter people who are blithely ignorant that they are bragging and their opinion of the self is often very different from what others think of them. I watched a few episodes of the last American Idol ( not the present one) and it's true everywhere.I think such a feeling stems from the fact that someone in the family or among the friends flatters the person and swells his or her ego so much so that the nay sayer's reflections on his/her talent or the lack of it can't convince them.They live in a blissful world of self ignorance.They will still continue to believe in Gods gift that others are failing to recognize.While such a state can sometimes provide great motivation ,it can irritate other people. I feel it's better to let the deeds do the talking rather than indulging in self-promotion.In our language there is a saying 'if you have talent ,it's fragrance will definitely reach people' You wouldn't need to announce your arrival.

For me, I don't see any problem with self-promotion although i thought bragging to be on a different level, to make others feel inferior. It'll be no problem if they can back it up because i observe some people are terrified of braggers who can walk the talk. They end up needing to work extra hard to upstage the bragger. Besides, i like braggers, they're funny. I usually set them up for a challenge, with a bet or something like that. Once, a kid bragged about being able to do a really wicked 'superman' (act of controlling a speeding motorcycle while lying face down). I bet him 50 ringgit (thank god he's not too bright and is high at the time) and he ended up in a freak accident with broken bones. Anyways, all of us need a little bit of self-promotion especially in the workplace as to my experience, self-promotion shows intent on taking the initiative. But like bragging, don't fail. Because if that happens, everyone would be talking about it. That's the only limits that i know of.

I think a truly Great Person would know how to be self confident while also being humble. It is okay to think that you are a good person and to believe in yourself in certain aspects of life. This is what helps us to be successful. But at the same time, when one over expresses their Greatness...it would be like trying to over compensate for one's lacking...or maybe even trying to convince other's and one's self into believing such Greatness. In these cases, the lack of being humble is the killer. Even one's over confidence could cause one to slack and not create such high quality. So, in my opinion...in order for one to be Great...that one must also be humble. Besides, no one likes to listen to another brag, it is just rude. ha ha

I am the queen of self depreciation. I have a really hard time promoting myself, even when its necessary for things like job interviews. Not to say that I think I am a bad person, just that I feel like I am bragging if I point out the good things. I think it kind of goes with your quote. I really do feel like if there is something great about me, I shouldnt have to tell people, they will figure it out for themselves. I can appreciate the people who have a level of self confidence that allows them to believe in themselves to the point that they aren't going to let themselves be brought down by anyone. But I also think that you can have that kind of confidence and strength on the inside without having to tell the negative people why they are wrong. Just go and prove them wrong, thats what I always say. Bragging tends to annoy me. I also think it tends to show a lack of confidence. Because if you have to be constantly telling people how wonderful you are, then you must feel the need to remind yourself as well. That being said, I do feel that children should be recognized for their accomplishments because it helps build confidence. The trick being to find that fine line between creating a confident, poised child, and a monster who thinks they are better than everyone else. I think it all comes down to the presentation, if that makes any sense.

I'm a Brit living in Canada, and when I first came here to Toronto, 26 years ago, I had a hell of difficulty getting a job at first, because at interviews I always tended to "talk myself down" when asked about my skills and abilities....... For instance, if asked about my experience in a particular sphere, instead of launching into some lengthy spiel about how talented I was, I would always give just the straight facts, no BS, and leave them to decide for themselves. In England that was the way it went, but here it didn't seem to be enough - potential employers expected me to be more assertive, less modest. 'Twas quite a culture shock at first, because telling people how good I am goes against my nature, but I eventually got the hang of it and managed to find a balance which landed me a good job finally. In general I definitely agree with your quote, but since being in North America I have found it necessary to speak up for myself a bit more, and have found it to pay off, within limits. Good subject.

in my family we were taught that we don't have to talk about ourselves but let people declare if we are good or not at doing something...we were taught that humility is a great virtue because there is no point in thinking that you are superior to another person..people are different and have different important aspects and there is always somewhere a person who is more important, or smarter or better than we are...we should better admire him or her and learn to do something more and improve ourselves...this is my philosophy in life even though I have also learnt that another important thing is self esteem because unless you trust yourself, nobody will trust you....as usual the best thing is in the middle!!!!