Don't TELL me how Great you are-- SHOW me!

Maybe bragging and "puffing yourself up" is just part of human nature, but there are aspects of it I find really grate on my nerves.

There seems to be an awful lot of people who go on and on and on about their "abilities" or "cleverness" or "accomplishments" or even "coolness," and then expect you to take all their claims at face value... and start treating them like they are some sort of genius. 

And yet? When you get down to the part of life "where the rubber meets the road" there's really very little there except words. 

The whole "I'm an AMAZING life coach!" or "I'm one of the best programmers ever!" song and dance isn't backed up by much evidence or a tangible body of work to support it. Or, that body of work turns out to be average, at best.

Recently, I have been reading quite a few articles-- both here on Steemit, and elsewhere-- about job candidates inflating their skills, and people in general living under an umbrella of "eternal positivity" that turns out to be little more than a smoke screen.

Maybe I'm not playing "the game" (of life) properly, but I really don't care so much about people's claims anymore. I increasingly assess them by their actions... a "Don't TELL me who you are and what you can do, SHOW me!" 

As my dad used to say "Talk is cheap."

What I find surprising-- and a little disturbing-- is how many people get upset and outright angry, when asked to actually "suit up and SHOW up."

Back when I owned a business and would hire employees, a number of applicants would actually be surprised and even annoyed when they learned that I actually called their former employees and references. And I was evidently "a complete asshole" when I'd ask for clarification as to why their words seemed to be a mismatch with "reality."

This morning, what brought all this to mind was someone who was putting themselves forth as a "major" and "important" contributor to the field of metaphysics-- a field where I and Mrs. Denmarkguy have a lot of connects and do a fair amount of writing. 

Even after more than a decade and a half and 100s of articles, I'm still a pretty small fish. And yet? I could find no trail of evidence to suggest work and contributions that would warrant this person being considered "important." 

It reminded me a bit of all those people who go around spamming the world with the "greatness" of income opportunities it later turns out they've actually never made any money at. 

Actions speak for themselves. Words, on the other hand, can be very deceptive.

I'll leave this with one final thought-- part of something I once overheard in a conversation: "When you're GREAT, you don't need to tell people-- people tell YOU."

What do YOU think? Does it seem like a lot of people "embellish" the truth of themselves? Above and beyond simply "putting their best foot forward?" How do you evaluate people? What do you think of the "Don't TELL me, SHOW me" statement as a guide for living? Leave a comment-- start a conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This post is original content, created expressly for Steemit)