How To Brag About Yourself

It can often be an uncomfortable task, to share your accomplishments publicly. Either because we’ve been told that bragging is impolite or we don’t want to turn into the name-dropping, ego-maniac trying to convince the wold how great we are.

But bragging is part of the nature of our work and the world we live in.
If you’ve ever had to write a resume or share a bio, gone on an interview or made a personal website, sharing your accomplishments is required in today’s work.

At the end of every Cave, we ask our community to share an accomplishment publicly– usually just something small they can put in the chat for everyone to read and for a little bit of recognition from the Cave Guide. The practice encourages us to seek dopamine in our process. By sharing a win and recognizing our accomplishments, we are rewarded with the good feeling of a hit of dopamine. When others recognize that effort, it’s another feel-good moment.

Over the years, we’ve learned a few ways to soften the challenge of talking about ourselves and how great we are.First, if you’re being invited to share an accomplishment, it doesn’t serve anyone to shy away. Step up to the mic and go big. People want to hear that you won an award or put the finishing touches on your book.

Here are some tips to make bragging easier:
1. Avoiding pronouns
I see it all the time in the chat at the end of caves “finished report” or “got through the assignment”. It creates a little distance between you and the work.

2. Use third person.
It’s a great trick for bios. “Jake is an award-winning designer” is so much easier to write out than “I am an award-winning designer.”

3. Gratitude can help soften a brag
“I’m so thankful for an amazing team that helped get my book published” or “I finally launched a podcast, and I’m so grateful to Jon for being my first guest”.

4. Self-deprecation can help too
“I’m a writer and have exactly zero best-selling novels” or “Much to the disappointment of my parents, I’m a full-time artist”.

Play around with what feels comfortable. Keep it short. Again, the nature of the world we live in requires us to share a bit about ourselves and our achievements. Don’t hide in humility, find the way to brag that works for you. And then speak up!

---

Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.