When you read/saw this title – did it make you feel uncomfortable? The thought of you bragging? Did it go against the grain of everything you know to be true? Did thoughts of pride and falling surface?

Some days your ego shows up like a karaoke star—Notice me. Applaud me. Hand me the mic. It loves a good headline and would happily trade substance for a standing ovation.

Other days, you pull off something extraordinary and almost erase yourself from the story: Oh, it was nothing. The team did everything. It’s as if giving your own brilliance oxygen might set off some cosmic alarm. Both patterns quietly sabotage real alignment.

The “Ego Is the Enemy” Angle

Ryan Holiday, in Ego Is the Enemy, describes ego this way:

Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: of mastering a craft, of real creative insight, of working well with others, of building loyalty and support, of longevity, of repeating and retaining your success.

Ego can sneak in long before failure ever shows up, pushing us to chase the appearance of impact rather than substance. It wants credit now. It whispers I did this while mastery whispers back the work is the reward. Left unchecked, it makes us un-coachable and deaf to feedback.

The Other Trap: Disappearing Your Genius

But there’s another, quieter trap. Many of us—especially women, creatives, and those raised in cultures where humility is drilled into the bones—were trained to downplay achievements. We heard, Don’t brag. Don’t make it about you. Don’t outshine anyone. Over time, we internalize invisibility: we defer credit, forget our own wins, and underprice our value. Future opportunities can pass by because the evidence of excellence never made it into the light.

The Bragging Table: A Middle Way

This is where Dan Rockwell’s and Jon Acuff’s philosophy on bragging rights offers a surprising antidote. Rockwell writes, “You honor the accomplishments of others while neglecting, even hiding your own.” Great leaders are quick to celebrate team wins because honoring others multiplies success and motivation. Yet honoring our own success feels foreign, awkward, even wrong. If honor encourages others, why wouldn’t it encourage you?

Jon Acuff tackles this tension with what he calls the bragging table. He meets a friend for regular breakfast sessions where the explicit purpose is to brag—privately. They share what they’ve accomplished, what opportunities came their way, and what makes them proud to be themselves. It’s a safe middle ground between arrogance and shame. Rockwell adds that public bragging is off-putting; instead, let others publicly honor you while you practice private honor with a trusted bragging buddy.

Imagine ending each week with someone who asks: What did you accomplish? What opened up for you? What makes you proud to be you? The bragging table reframes recognition from ego-feeding to self-encouragement. It’s not about inflating your story but about keeping your own brilliance visible and nourished.

The Paradox in Plain Sight

The problem isn’t acknowledging yourself; it’s why and how you do it. One mode is driven by external applause and needs constant feeding. The other is grounded in internal truth and can stand silently without an audience. One inflates the story and separates you from others; the other states the fact and invites people in. One is fragile; the other is sustainable because it’s rooted in reality.

Alignment Practices Worth Stealing

Keep a private Brag File or Evidence Bank: a running list of wins, client results, praise, and key metrics. It’s not vanity; it’s strategy for pricing, proposals, and those “tell us your impact” moments. When you share publicly, add context: “We launched X and here’s what surprised us…” That turns a boast into a conversation. And before you post, pause long enough to ask:

• Am I sharing to model possibility or to feed ego?
• Have I given myself honest credit in private first?
• Would I still value this work if no one knew?

The aim isn’t to be small, and it isn’t to be loud. It’s to stay rooted in what’s real—naming your own brilliance without building a shrine expecting worship.

Strategic Reflection Prompt

Where have you let ego steer the wheel—chasing recognition or silencing your own brilliance? What one habit can you start this week to practice grounded self-recognition without tipping into ego?

About Giselle

Giselle Hudson is a writer, possibility thinker, speaker, Strategic Alignment Facilitator™, and MCODE Legacy Coach. She helps solo professionals, non and for profit organizations identify where focus and learning need to occur to stay aligned and achieve real results — all beginning with The One Question Every Business Must Answer™.