Some people feel the need to talk themselves up, to make themselves look better than they are. But without fail, these attempts to make their appearance more palatable say something louder than any tacky convertible: Please, please, please like me!
If you want to find the genuine ones look for the people hanging out in the background, calmly going about their business. These are people who know their value. Who know what they’re good at and how. They’re the people who do what needs to be done — not because somebody will praise them for it but because if they don’t do it, nobody will.
In Philadelphia they tell a story about George Washington. When the first Continental Congress began the process of nominating the first President of the United States, many of the men present began talking about what a brilliant general George Washington had been. Rather than join into the conversation, Washington left the room. He didn’t want or need to listen to the other people in the room sing his praises.
Knowing you’re fantastic at something means your own approval is all you need. It’s doubt that forces you to beg for somebody else to tell you how great you are.
Insecurities are louder than nearly anything else going on in our heads. They shout out the reason, the praise, the practical knowledge. Insecurity hovers over our accomplishments, asking, “Is this good enough? Tell me this is good enough!” Confidence, though, looks at an accomplishment and says, “Yeah, that’s fine.”
Be like George Washington and know how good you are. Know that you’re killing it at life, at whatever it is you do, at being you, and leave it to other people to figure out how to handle all the amazingness you bring to the table.