“Confidence isn’t the opposite of humility. Confidence is the opposite of arrogance.”
– Lynley Hipps
I’m working with a client on a launch strategy for her new course, and I was writing the email nurture sequence that would welcome new leads as they come into her funnel and onto her email list.
I was encouraging her to share her story in this sequence, to tell her followers how she had overcome a pretty dark childhood and young adulthood to get to where she is now.
But she was worried that if she talked too much about what she had accomplished and what she’d overcome, she would sound arrogant.
She wanted to convey to her students that they would be on this journey of discovery together, that she would learn as much from them as they do from her…because she didn’t want to suggest that she knew it all.
She wanted them to know that she was humble.
And I totally get it – we’re programmed by society to downplay our own successes, experiences, and knowledge so we don’t sound like we’re “bragging.”
But do you know what sharing our successes and experiences really does? It shows other people that they’re not alone. That there is hope. That I managed this, and so can you.
As humans, we crave connection. It’s a biological requirement to protect ourselves from predators, but it’s also an emotional imperative.
We need to know we’re not alone.
We need to know that others are in our corner, cheering us on.
We need to know that the mountain before us CAN be tackled – because others have tackled it before us…and lived to tell the tale.
And that’s exactly what we do when we share our stories with others.
By sharing our story – with humility and authenticity – we let others borrow a bit of our confidence to conquer their own goals and dreams.
You never know – your story just may give someone else the confidence to land that client, start that new business, follow that dream…or face the mountain of laundry that awaits them (hey, not all our stories have to be life-changing!).
So share your story…be proud of your accomplishments…don’t downplay your successes or pooh-pooh praise. By telling your story with confidence (and not arrogance), you will give someone else that boost they need to be proud of their own accomplishments, too!
What’s a story you can share with your audience that will give them hope and show them that they’re not alone?
