The Bad Side of Bragging
Bragging shows the bad side of people…I’m glad I’m not like them…
I always wondered why my parents would never talk about the cool or good things me & my siblings have done.
Not that I expected any gratification or anything, it’s just…other people
always talk about their kids in the greatest light but my parents don’t do that.
& I always wondered if they weren’t proud of us, or whatever the reason was…
As an adult, after witnessing the way some of my extended family (on my dad’s side) acted while they bragged…I finally understand why…
My mom always said, “Why do you need to brag? What reason is there to brag?” “Does it earn you more money?” (Not making this up, she really says this)…
& she’s right…
Hearing the way some family members would brag about the smallest things, it feels gross. It leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths.
Not to say you shouldn’t be proud of your achievements, but if you’re going to
brag about a job promotion during a funeral or brag to hide behind fake advice to make yourself look preachy & self-righteous, it comes off rather insincere, to say the least.
& indeed, why must I brag?
I’m just the daughter of a hardworking family man…
That’s admirable but nothing to shout home about…
& I certainly don’t achieve my successes the dirty way, unlike my bragging
extended family members…
Someone once said if you have to say it more than once, who are you trying to
convince? Other people or yourself?
All this talk of success reminds me of the underrated Disney movie Meet the
Robinsons.
If you’ve never seen it, then SPOILER ALERT!
The movie’s about a little blonde boy named Lewis who’s taken by his son from the future, Wilbur, to fix his current invention that he failed to make right. Wilbur takes Lewis to the future & he’s shown what happens if he gave up on his invention, & what happens if he succeeded in building his invention correctly. Of course there’s the usual high-jinx & stuff that doesn’t go as planned…
In 1 of my favourite scenes in the movie, when he fails to fix a machine his future self made, he gets upset, but his family rejoices.
He asks them why.
1 of his relatives replies, “Through failure, you learn…through success, not so much…”
& that couldn’t be further from the truth…
People who are so used to success but let it get to their heads always tend to do the same thing over & over again…but what happens when it fails…?
They don’t know how to make a comeback.
Someone who’s used to failure would tick off what to do & what not to do until they reap the fruits of their labour.
A.K.A. Think, Plan, Execute…
& that’s what my relatives are probably used to. They’re so used to succeeding, it goes to their head & they do the same thing over & over again. So when they begin to fail, they keep making the wrong choices over & over again.
& they have no one else to blame…
As for me, I have successes but I also have failures. I’m used to failure. I’m used to things not going my way…
Which is why I plan for everything, even the tiniest detail…
So when things don’t go as well as possible but the outcome is not so bad, I learn from such experiences.
I keep many things in mind.
I keep in mind what not to do, what I should’ve done & what I could do in
the future.
I’m the kind of person to keep my head down & work, which is why people respect me. & my relatives see that but don’t get it.
Why?
Because they’re stuck in the same cycle, as if they thought all they did right was the magic formula…even though it’s not…
I guess that’s my magic formula: my strength in my ability to adapt to any
situation…meaning I will always learn from every experience. The best part is I also get to share said experiences & lessons learnt with others.
Hence why I became a mentor. I never preach what I don’t practice myself.
That’s why I don’t brag…
