How to Brag Without Being Arrogant

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Bragging can produce many benefits in life, it forms part of a genuine attempt to convey the good points about yourself to a potential employer, romantic interest or others in need of being persuaded of your virtues. But how do you brag without being narcissistic? It's great to love oneself, but to come off as a self-centered, stuck-up person can really annoy people and push them away from you. Bragging modestly about yourself on the other hand gets people to attract to you, learn more about you, and shows that you have a great self-esteem. Just read along and consider using these few helpful tips to brag the correct way.

Steps

1. Keep the "I" out of it. When you're talking about yourself, don't use the word "I" in every sentence. That easily labels you as arrogant, self-centered and self-absorbed. Instead, try to use it so that it's clear that you're talking about yourself but tone it down in terms of self-reference. Instead, speak more broadly about your skills and then simply demonstrate that you have full understanding about a situation or required action by discussing the matter in general. Consider using phrases such as:
   
   • "My skill set is..."
     
   • "My ability to do this can be demonstrated by..."
     
   • "It is important to praise other people and this can be done by..."
     
   
   
2. Keep it meaningful. When given a compliment, be sure to issue a genuine 'thank-you', but do not feel as though you must return a compliment. It isn't a game of table tennis, and often compliments given directly after receiving compliments sound less sincere.
   
3. Brag with self-respect.To sell yourself to clients or workers, or to get more benefits in your career, bragging modestly about yourself can boost your self-esteem and the way your employees think about you, or gain respect from your fellow classmates.
   

Tips

• Don't be afraid to recognize your own achievements.
  
• A good rule of thumb is only to brag about something which you would compliment someone else on. That way, you are sure to be less self-centered.
  

Warnings

• Choose when to brag wisely; if it becomes a regular habit, you may find yourself becoming socially isolated.
  
• Different cultures have different attitudes to bragging. Be sensitive to the situation and to the culture of the people you are interacting with. For example, Americans are brought up to be individualistic and to talk of their accomplishments. People in some other countries are brought up to be very modest with others and to think that it is gauche to talk of their accomplishments openly.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Cope With Arrogant People
  
• How to Be Arrogant
  
• How to Be Confident
  
• How to Feel Confident
  
• How to Make People Think You Are Confident
  

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