- I am disorganized
- I am so busy
- I’m not creative
- I’m not artistic
- I’m afraid to speak in public
- I am not an athlete
- I am not a leader
- I could never do that
- I’m not a technical person.
- I can never keep up with everything on my list.
- I have always been a little slow to learn something new.
- I’m just not good at doing [the thing].
- I’m not a good communicator.
- I’m not the kind of person that can let that go.
- I could never change that about my personality.
Many of us do this to come across as humble.
There is a way to be humble without cutting yourself down. Let’s learn how.
If you want to present yourself in a way that comes across as positive without coming across as fake or bragging, then you’ll want to talk about your limitations in a way that implies hope.
Step 1: Remove “I am”
Remove “I am” from the equation. You are not equal to a limitation. You are not the makeup of them. If you have a disorganized moment, it does not mean YOU ARE disorganized. You are human, and humans have moments.
- “I am disorganized” will turn into “That was a bit disorganized so I’m taking time to put it right”
- Turn “I am so busy.” into “I have filled my calendar this week.”
- “I’m not creative” will become “I haven’t seen the creativity of this yet.””I’m not artistic”. changes to “I don’t typically choose artistic projects”
- ….you get the idea.
- How would you change “I’m just not a technical person.”? Here’s an option, “Technical concepts have been a challenge for me sometimes.”
Do you see how removing “I am” opens up the possibility of improvement and adds hope?
Step 2: Eliminate absolutes
The next step is to look for and eliminate absolutes like “always” and “never”. Absolute statements imply that you are not open to or even hopeful that things can improve for you. The truth is that no one is “always” anything, and unless you can see the future, you cannot know that something is a “never.”
So turn “I could never do that” into “I haven’t tried that before. I’m not sure I want to”Do you see the difference?
Step 3: Practice
Next, go back to the second column and make adjustments. Ensure
Remember, you are in control of what you say.

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Ellen,
Another great Blog! So good. I am going to share this with some of my friends at my company. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and authentic advice and suggestions!
Thank you Chiara. I’m glad this one spoke to you.