Let’s start this post by stating the obvious: no one likes an overly arrogant person or someone who brags a lot. This post isn’t for those folks. This post is about recognizing the good work we do as individuals and promoting yourself in a gracious way.
Here’s what prompted this post.
I recently had a pretty cool week regarding publicity for my blog. Naturally, it was exciting. I texted a few friends, my parents and it sort of stopped there. A few hours go by and I realized that this was a great moment (I’ll share it here in a sec) and why shouldn’t I share it with other folks? Last year, I was listening to a podcast and the host, Bevy Smith, said something that has always stuck out to me: No one is going to toot your own horn for you. No one.
She’s right.
When did we become such cynical people? Why is it so unusual that someone would want to celebrate their successes without having an ulterior motives? The reality is that sometimes, good things happen to us and celebrating those good things can be motivational and inspiring to others. So how can you toot your own horn without sounding like a jerk?
Be authentic in your sharing. If your intent is to try to make someone jealous or to simply be boastful, that’s not authenticity. Sharing your “good news” will more than likely come off as jerk-like behavior. The other way to is recognize the good work of others. Constantly talking about yourself is one sure way to turn people off. However, if you toot your own horn and authentically recognize the great work of others, people are more likely to listen to you when have good news to share. Does that make sense?
Trust me when I say that promoting yourself to those who truly care about you will only bring you joy and lots of encouragement.
Why I chose to toot my own horn recently
In celebration of Black History Month, 28 awesome black food bloggers are participating in a virtual potluck. The awesome folks who organized this entire potluck (check out their blogs here and here) did a great job in getting us lots of press for our recipes. We were lucky enough to get press in Food52 and Blavity – to name a couple.
In that same week, USA Today 10 Best released their list for the best biscuit sandwiches in Tennessee. No, I didn’t make the best biscuit sandwich in Tennessee but I did help them compile the list and it was so much fun!
I say all of this to say, I had a lot of good news to share over the last few days. For a moment, I thought I’d keep the good news to myself. I thought about that Bevy Smith quote and decided to share my news. So whatever good news you’re experiencing this week, don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. I’d love to hear it!
