APX-IV-0018
“I'm tempted to inflate my achievements to impress people.”
The need to inflate what you've done is a sign that you don't fully trust what you've actually done. Real strength doesn't require exaggeration. What you've genuinely built is already worth standing behind — unchanged.
Your Practice
Before your next conversation where you'd be tempted to inflate, write down exactly what you've actually done — the clean, unembellished version. Practice saying it aloud plainly. Notice that the plain version is actually more compelling than you think. Truth carries weight that exaggeration doesn't.
The Architects
“Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.”
— Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack