When you brag, you have positive thoughts about yourself. Your confidence grows. High self-esteem is part of your well-being and happiness.
When you brag about a skill you have, you may attract new friends who look up to you and want to learn that special skill.
When you face a challenge, you should be proud that you are able to deal with it. Perhaps you can draw wonderfully, but you cannot draw portraits or geometric forms. You must find a way to overcome your problem. Practice a lot. Do you want to brag about the amazing portraits you have drawn? This way, bragging can motivate you.
Bragging can make you more successful at school, in your work and your private life.
You must have often heard that bragging is wrong, do not be a show-off, once you accomplish great things, it will speak for itself and others will talk about it. No way. Nobody will show up to “discover” you. Success does not just depend on the things you have accomplished. You have to be able to communicate your talent i.e. that you are gifted, motivated, and you are the one whose work is most valuable. Have you ever heard about corporate leaders or successful entrepreneurs who are modest and quiet? Probably insecure? It is very unlikely. They have to be strong and confident.
Of course, you should not exaggerate. You should not lie about non-existing results. If you have real accomplishments, you have every right to be proud of it. A high-powered, enthusiastic person gives a good impression.
Studies have proven that bragging contributes to your success. See Project Enhance, a three years study, funded by the National Science Foundation at the University of Maryland. It focused on the careers of women who worked in STEM fields. Experts conducted surveys with the women and their managers. The study found that these women were under pressure, they were aware of the pressure, but they felt comfortable with it, they were confident that they could deal with their tasks. However, they could not reflect this confidence in their workplace. As a result, their managers did not assume that these women could deal with all the stress. See? They could not brag, so their bosses did not appreciate their work. Psychological researchers of the University of Illinois and University of Nebraska-Lincoln have found that people who have some narcissistic traits are more successful in their careers than their modest peers. According to the researchers, narcissistic persons know how to make an impression when they first meet someone; they come across as confident, bright, knowledgeable individuals. You certainly know how important first impression is. It may account for the successful bragging.
YOUR LESSON? Whatever special skills you have, it is worth bragging about them.
People love to brag about their achievements. Bragging about your skills is part of sports and fitness activities. You’re allowed to be proud of the awards you receive and the records you set. The only problem that comes is when you brag to put others down. Of course, we all want to celebrate big wins and great plays, but you shouldn’t have to insult someone else in the process. We live amongst so much negativity, so we need to start filling it with positive energy again.
Think about a situation when someone did something better than you. This person boasted on and on about how much greater they were than you. There’s a good chance that made you feel pretty bad about yourself. All you wanted was to get a little recognition for what you had done as well, but this person took up the whole spotlight. They pushed you out of the way and threw dirt in your face, all because they wanted to feel superior. That is not the kind of bragging that anyone should have to put up with. There is such a thing as positive bragging. We don’t do this to be show-offs or laugh at other people. That kind of behaviour is cruel and uncalled for. We should let ourselves be proud of our accomplishments and show others what we can do. Showing someone your skills with a humble attitude and a sense of grace, will lead people to be more likely to celebrate with you. If you are talking to someone whose skills are not advanced as yours, then use that opportunity to help them improve. Yes, sports are competitions, but in some cases, they are against people with similar skill sets. Laughing at someone who is not as advanced as you is not useful. Instead, try giving them tips on how to do better, tell them how to improve their technique, and most importantly keep the feedback positive. We need to applaud each other in our efforts otherwise we’re just being mean. For people that are starting out in a sport, they seek out as much help as they can. It would be unfortunate if that person continually got laughed at for being a beginner and then gave up altogether.
It’s true that some people just aren’t cut out to do certain things professionally, but that doesn’t mean we should stop them from doing the activity. If someone loves partaking in a certain sport, then encourage them to keep going. Sure, a beginner is going to make mistakes that will make an advanced player cringe, but that should not lead to teasing. Try telling that beginner stories about what it was like when you were starting out. No one becomes an expert overnight, and even when you become an expert, you mess up sometimes. If the beginner knows you are now an expert, then knowing that you started out just like them will be a great comfort.
Competitions are an intense way to motivate ourselves to try harder. They bring fans and athletes together to celebrate a certain sport. Competition is healthy, but not when it leads to unkind words and people getting hurt. A competition is still allowed to be fun. Take a hockey game for example. Fans fill the stadiums and cheer and roar, excited to watch their favorite team give it their all. Obviously, in the end, only one team will win, and that, unfortunately, leads to brawls amongst the players and fans. Instead of fighting like that, it would be better just to accept the loss and try again next time. You don’t have to be happy for the other team, but you don’t have to egg them on for an argument either. Many people take sports very seriously, and that’s okay. Having something you love to enjoy is important. The problem is that some people take it too far, and that leads to harmful actions.
Bragging has many negative connotations, but that’s only because people use it to put others down. We need to redefine what bragging means and celebrate all accomplishments, not just ones that are ours. Everyone deserves to have their moment and tell their friends and family about the awesome game they had. It is your duty to pump that person up and help them feel proud of what they’ve done. So many people don’t bother expressing excited emotions in fear of sounding too “braggy”. We need to knock out those feelings and work together to encourage everyone to keep moving forward.
After you’ve patiently waited your turn and have allowed for sufficient amounts of time to celebrate your friend, then it’s your turn to tell some stories. If you’ve shown others enough respect and support in their endeavours, they will surely return the favor. Tell everyone about your own accomplishments and celebrate together. Make sure your tone is not righteous or over-confident. Tell everyone what happened and let them know how hard you’ve worked. You’re allowed to feel excited and proud, but never try to outshine someone just for the sake of feeling better about yourself. State the facts of the events in the day and do it with as much enthusiasm as you can.
The worst part about negative bragging is when it leads to someone giving up something they enjoyed. You should never tease someone to the point where they lose all hope. We should be practicing positive bragging and building people up so that they can improve their skills. We should be learning from fellow athletes to get better so that no one picks up any bad habits in their chosen sport. Now, that’s not to say that experts should give up all their trade secrets. If they see someone making a huge error, though, then there’s no reason why they can’t help that person correct it. Sports are also about teamwork, and we need to ensure that we help others succeed when we can and give them positive feedback.