Owning What You Know ... and What You Do Not

I may be late to the party, but the term tall poppy syndrome is new to me. I’ve only recently heard it used by my lovely Australian friends and acquaintances.

It refers to a reluctance to toot our own horns, or perhaps even internally acknowledge our strengths, for fear that others around us might feel diminished.

I know I’ve certainly experienced this in my life and have equated it with being a nice person—well, nice girl/woman specifically.

And here’s what I now see as the paradox: If we so abide, then how would anyone ever know the ways we might be of service to them in their lives? In the macro, I think it translates to lots of folks feeling unseen and others feeling unsupported.

Then, when we add in the experience of spinning our wheels attempting to do stuff we are not designed to do because we don’t know where to get help, there’s a squandering of our energetic resources. Not many wins there.

In short, I believe there are things that are ours to do in this life, and others that are not, and we best be honest with ourselves and others about what those are.

How about you? Are you ever reluctant to acknowlege your own strengths for fear of having others feel less-than, or for any other reason? Oh … and are you OK with hearing others express theirs?