Where does your self-worth come from?
Are you content with your existence or is your worth fuelled heavily by the opinion of others?
If a compliment by a loved one feels good, there is nothing wrong in feeling a little nicer about yourself. Such a feeling is one of the most human things in us.
However, measuring your worth to a great extent through the words of others is dangerously harmful. And, we constantly see a professional version of fishing for self-worth in LinkedIn humblebragging.
Humblebrag
Humblebragging refers to seemingly self-deprecating statements with a pride undertone, made with the actual purpose of drawing attention.
An example will help here.
In the early 2010s, Twitter was a goldmine for humblebragging. We were graced by classics, such as
- Will Twitter be available for me in Paris, Milan, or the Maldives? I hope so bc it won’t be in Hong Kong or Singapore
- I just did something very selfless. But, more importantly, it was genuine & I know it means a lot to the person in the long run #soworthit
- Totally walked down the wrong escalator at the airport from the flashes of the cameras…Go me
Does anything here feel familiar.
Granted, most of these tweets came from celebrities. However, now we see them even more regularly on social media, especially on LinkedIn.
It seems that celebrities got better at it, probably through professional help. But, our dear LinkedIn humble braggers are having a go at it now.
LinkedIn Humblebragging
Before I try and point at the humblebragging on LinkedIn, I must confess that it usually comes from people with high engagement on posts. (There is little point in humblebragging if no one shows that they care).
Such people have achieved a form of LinkedIn celebrity status that is somewhat funny to read. And, when you drop into the comments, it’s utter s******e. (Good luck figuring out that word). In short, none of this comes out as genuine.
But, these LinkedIn celebrities are repeating what most traditional celebrities go through, at least in the beginning of their careers; measuring their self-worth on the basis of what strangers think about them.
Put simply, such people are showing a lack of maturity, unacceptable for a platform like LinkedIn.
I have a simple message for such people.
If you are going to brag, just brag. There is nothing wrong with a little cockiness, as long as it comes out as a sign of confidence and achievement. If you feel like concealing your bragging under the cover of humility, just don’t brag at all. You come out as unintentionally hilarious and unprofessional. (Until then, I will keep enjoying your posts).
