Accomplishments prove we tried to do something and did something.
A little flex every now and again doesn't hurt.
I did this.
I tried this.
It proves we lived.
Just don't be arrogant about your success, but sometimes you want to show off just a little.
Redditor vjts87 wanted to hear about what everyone feels they deserve to brag about, so they asked:
"What’s the weirdest flex you have?"
I brag about nothing.
Except that I can sing word for word every Whitney song.
The Win
Tired At Home GIF by IKEA USAGiphy"I work the overnight shift and still get eight hours of uninterrupted quality sleep every day."
ITookAPooInTheICU
“Love Shack”
"I’ve been booed by 10,000 people at once. I know athletes and celebrities have been booed by more people, but I’m neither. I was randomly picked out of the crowd at an NBA game to attempt a 3-point shot, to win everyone a free pizza. I bricked it."
Shonuff8
"At least you had a task that only lasted like maybe 10 seconds."
"I was at a radio concert in a venue that size with 6 big acts on the bill. In between acts, they had fans do karaoke. A mother-daughter team got tasked with 'Love Shack' and sh*t the bed hard. One of the DJs told the crowd to give them a round of applause and they got hit by a massive wave of boos."
patrickwithtraffic
Gross
"I got picked up in a white van as a child by a stranger to get a lift to somewhere 5 mins away, I was in the back off the van for half an hour, then they opened the door at the place I was trying to go. To this day I'm not sure but I think he changed his mind. The guy seemed nice enough at the time but, it was just such a strange experience to think back on, I was about 12ish I think at the time too so definitely old enough to have known better."
WhatAmI111WhatAmI111
Genius
Hungry Labor Day GIF by BounceGiphy"I can always pick the exact right size container to put leftovers in."
Money_Pomegranate_51
Knowing how to portion leftovers is a MIRACLE gift.
The Gift
Giphy"I can get rid of hiccups on demand. Like without fail if I have hiccups I can just think about it and they go."
DoIReallyNeedAnAcc
Trauma
"A tree fell on me in 2021 and broke all my ribs, my spine, and popped both my lungs. I dragged myself out and survived long enough slowly drowning in my own blood (and internally bleeding out) to be found and get airlifted to a trauma ward. So I got almost as much metal grafted to my bones as wolverine though I don't flex much because I got so much metal making me rather stiff and rigid."
Setantaoceillaigh
Kevin! Come back!
"I had to take an IQ test when I was being evaluated for ADHD and apparently I am in the 99th percentile in spatial reasoning. I can’t do math or talk good but I can pack the hell out of a suitcase!"
yekirati
"This is actually an amazing skill to have! One of my old cooks was the same way. Quiet kid, very bright but not cut out for the restaurant industry. He loved being on prep for EXACTLY this reason. The fridge was never as organized, cleaned, labeled, dated, rotated and stocked properly unless it was he or I or one other person. I miss you Kevin! Come back!"
subtxtcan40
"I survived 9 heart attacks, before I turned 40. Have 4 stints following 3 angiograms and 1 open heart surgery with vein transfer... that failed... been in heart failure status for a year. But honestly I am healthier than I was a year ago. A year ago couldn't walk half a mile. Now can walk 3 miles without issue. Even survived covid this year after 2 years of isolating."
BadGenesWoman
Savior
Blood Donation GIF by Santander Brasil OficialGiphy"I have donated over 15 gallons of blood!"
DonkeymanPicklebutt
"As someone whose life has been saved due to a blood donation: THANK YOU! I love you and hope others will take after your example."
Friendly_Chemical
Life is always full of flex. Embrace it.
Do you have anything to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Social insecurity, a largely silent and internal weight, can't help but rear its head for the external world every so often.
Or for some, it comes out pretty regularly.
And that makes for a vicious cycle.
The socially anxious person, already struggling with low self-esteem, performs some subtle--yet very noticeable--behavior that only causes them to dig further into that hole.
Just how obvious are those warning signs?
A recent Reddit thread made that pretty clear.
dudeARama2 asked, "What screams 'I have low self esteem?' "
For some people, the insecurity came out because it'd been dominating their entire, internal worldview for so long that it colored their reality.
A thing said, a passing feeling, or the nonchalant action of a friend were all enough to throw them off.
A Sudden Interrogation
"What do you mean? Why are you asking? Has anyone said something about me? Is it because I gained weight?" -- DocTymc
"My favorite, 'I lost weight recently can't you tell? My friends said I looked thinner in my face.' "
"Me: 'Damn Kris can I get a hello first.' " -- bigblueberryboobies
Center of it All
"Thinking that every time someone laughs it's because they're laughing at you or making fun of you" -- Massive_Corgi5532
"My worst nightmare. Walking past a group of teens and they start laughing." -- SnR_Remito
"The real doozy is when someone is looking even vaguely in your direction when laughing and your brain immediately goes into the fun world of paranoia" -- HuanTheMango
Selective Listening
"Thinking that everything bad someone tells you is true, but the second someone complements you, you just can't seem to accept it." -- PansPersonCrazy
"Wait, somebody actually likes me AND thinks I'm attractive? Okay but, what's wrong with them?" -- Lanko
A Daily Obsession
"Being excessively concerned with how others perceive you." -- fermat1432
" 'We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.' -Marcus Aurelius" -- mysterybiscuit
Other people talked about the not-so-subtle behaviors of people with low self-esteem. The coping mechanisms are more obvious than we'd like to think.
Presumed Guilty
"Somebody who apologizes frequently, even for things that aren't their fault. I've apologized to inanimate objects before." -- Ermaquillz
"Apologizing for talking. Apologizing for not talking. Apologizing for apologizing. Apologizing for being alive." -- Ectophylla_alba
"Well l, I'm sorry but that's totally me." -- Captainspazzma
Beat Them to the Punch
"Someone who talks themselves down a lot. It's a way for them to protect themselves from the insults of others" -- aardbei123
"Self-effacing humor is fun in small amounts, but if people are constantly making "jokes" about their own flaws, they're probably actually internalizing a lot of it." -- Notmiefault
Avoid, Avoid, Avoid
"Not being able to speak looking at other people face or eyes, something I say by experience, you just start to think they may judge you, or may notice that pimple, or how bad u have your hair in that moment, or your nose form. It's like if I don't see their faces they won't see my defects."
"I don't know if I explained my self well." -- Coque379
Some, however, went on the offense.
Their insecurities pushed them to fire the first shot across the bow, if you will. Unfortunately, nobody was buying the performance.
Down to their Level
"Putting down other's hobbies because you are insecure about yours/don't have any" -- FROGS_and_PLANTS
"I cross stitch, and some of my pieces are very intricate and take a long time. I am really proud of them, and the focus it takes to complete them."
"I had a date tell me that cross stitch was the most useless hobby he had every heard of, and I was just flabbergasted. First off, why do hobbies have to be 'useful'? Secondly, it provides me with entertainment for a long time, and it then serves as decoration! But even without all that, if I enjoy it, why try and take that away from me?"
Painting a Picture
"People who brag about themselves all the time. So damn insecure and trying to tell people how to see them" -- Kir-ius
"I know someone like this. She's always bragging about how everyone loves her, but the second I get a compliment she's quick to get all eyes and ears on her again. I'm just now realizing this too, I used to look up to her a lot. But now I just feel bad for her bc she needs so much validation." -- msbeliever8
Fantasies
"Lying about their lives. There is nothing more sad than catching a person lying about their life (finances, romantic relationships etc.) just to get attention and validation." -- o_oana
"I went to school with a girl who told various lies. She was homeless and captured pigeons for dinner, she was a trained clown, her mom was paraplegic and wheelchair bound among others, but then graduation rolls around and guess who shows up? Mom, and she is not in a wheelchair. Someone in class declares 'it's a miracle!!' "
"But wasn't my face red a few years later when I went to a Busking Festival and I saw Lying Girl painted up as a clown. She was pretty good, excellent balloon animals." -- NewToSociety
It's the perfect storm: being seen in a bad light is the worst nightmare of a person with low-self esteem. And yet, the coping mechanisms broadcast it loud and clear.
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Ok so where not perfect. That is something that must be owned. When you know your flaws you can work on them to fix them. One can still be fabulous and a bit tainted. Life is going to lead to many cracks on the veneer of a person. Flaws are just proof that a life was lived. Know your truth.... and embrace them.
Redditor u/retailbro wanted to discuss just how self aware many of us are by asking.... [SERIOUS] What is the worst thing about you?
Toiling Away....
GiphyMy procrastination. The_Moistest_Boi
I used to be the king of procrastination. I once had a ticket to pay online but I kept postponing until my 20 dollar fine became a 500 dollar one. I once kept postponing changing the oil in my car until I knocked my whole engine. But now I only crastinate, without the pro. Baby steps. GenSul559
Just Walk...
I can't walk away during an argument or let things go until it's resolved. cue378
I always want to talk about the argument, but my GF goes completely silent, she needs time to cool off
It's hard, when i cool down i don't know anymore what i was going to say. u_creative_username
Desperate.
Sometimes I'm too desperate for validation. depressedjoanna
Don't say that about yourself, I think you're great. TheRookCard
"I wonder what he meant...."
I overthink every compliment and insult. mediocre_moment16
A psychologist walks to work every day. Every day he sees another psychologist pass him silently walking the other way.
After 20 years one day the other psychologist says "good morning" as he walks past.
The first psychologist spends the rest of the day pondering "I wonder what he meant...." TheDevilsAdvokaat
Attached....
GiphyI'm far too clingy for my own good. LesbianSeaWitch
My girlfriend and I are both very clingy, I love her very much though, you have to have another clingy person that also matches your personality and what not, so I can see why this is a big problem. an602tsar
Feel like a moron every time.
I have a tendency to interrupt people. Not because I'm not listening or think what I have to say is more important. I just get so pumped to share the random thought that popped into my head that all manners go out the window. But it definitely doesn't come across that way. Feel like a moron every time. foldedfrogs
Me. Me. Me.
At heart, I'm just a selfish prick. Once a person starts to need me or inconvenience me in any way, I start to check out.
I will always self-preserve. Noneverdid
Oh I can understand that completely but in the sense of obligations....
If someone obligates me into something, or I start to feel a sense of obligation or owing them something I dip the heck out. I can't handle it.
It's for my own self perseverance and it feels super selfish. The way I combat that selfish feeling is the realization that you are the only person that is going to be there for you... Forever.
So if you can't handle people needing you, and you dislike being inconvenienced, then you do you. You are your only number 1. Reddit
Just bleh...
I have very little ambition. Maraudentium
Our entire Gen X group was pegged as having no ambition. Unfortunately, the moniker stuck because few of us had any ambition to disprove it. notjewel
"whatever makes you happy"
I blame myself for everything and I can't say no. I'm very much a "whatever makes you happy" type person even if it means I get hurt or taken advantage of. Then I blame myself for whatever happened to me in the taking advantage of process. Galactic_ink
Fury!!
GiphyI have a serious anger problem. GoliathBoneSnake
Same, though I'm the most calm and happy person you'd know most of the time. Yesterday my phone kept pausing music so I punched through a towel rail and wall in one move. Kirsi2019