I think you’d agree with me on this: You must blow your own trumpet if you’re serious about being successful.
Why do I say so?
Well, how would people know what you’ve got to offer if you don’t tell them?
Okay, let me give you some food for thought.
You see, back in 2007, I worked for a private FM channel in Gurugram, Haryana.
Diwali was around the corner and we were busy preparing some radio spots for our clients.
One of our clients specifically asked to use a Sanskrit mantra as an opening for a spot. I recorded the voice-over and our sound engineer put quite some hours into it. And finally, the radio spot came out pretty neat. Once done, I asked the sales guy handling that particular client to come to the studios and give that a listen.
He (the sales guy) listened to the spot and said that it was quite good.
I replied, “Yes, it’s sounding very good.”
He gave me a sarcastic look and said to the sound engineer “Oh! Look at him, how humble he is, praising his own voice.”
To which I replied “Well, if something is good, it’s good. What does it matter if it’s my work or not? And if my voice is sounding good in this spot then why shouldn’t I appreciate it? What do you want me to say? Should I criticize my work just for the sake of sounding humble?”
He had no answer.
Blowing One’s Own Trumpet or Demeaning Oneself?
How many times do you keep mum or criticize or demean or belittle your own work? To sound humble?
Think about that.
And why do you do that?
Because your parents, teachers, and society have conditioned you that it’s not OK to blow your own trumpet. That it makes you look arrogant and “cheap.”
And somehow you’ve accepted the idea that you’re not worthy, that you’re not good enough to be recognized and receive accolades for your work.
Listen, I get that.
You play humble because you assume that people will look upon you as a nice person. “So talented and yet so humble!”
It’s alright. Go ahead, and blow your trumpet anyway. That’d be the first step to breaking the negative conditioning patterns. Of course, expressing oneself positively and boasting are not the same things. And one must learn to differentiate between the two.
Let me give you three reasons to blow your own trumpet.
# 1: To Let Others Know What You Have Got
Listen: You may be good at singing, acting, solving mathematical equations, designing websites, making others laugh, or creating something extraordinary. But only YOU know about your talents.
What about others?
Are the people around you (in your workplace or social circles) also aware that you’ve got a particular talent? That you could do something nobody else can.
Who do you think is going to tell them, if not you?
I mean come on. Why do you think actors keep on talking about their upcoming movies? Because they want to make you aware of the hard work they have put in, and also why there are a million reasons you should watch their movie.
Likewise, you need to go ahead and become your own promoter.
# 2: To Help Others
All of us need help at one time or the other.
And not helping people when you can, well, I won’t say it’s a crime. But, yes, it’s not good.
Think about your schooling:
Why did you attend the school?
I mean, your parents could have arranged everything at home and could have saved a lot of money.
But they didn’t.
In fact, they paid for your books, school fees, transportation charges, trips to movies, and amusement parks. Heck! They even attended numerous parent-teacher meetings despite their “tight” schedules.
They did all that because they knew you needed the help of the teachers to understand the subjects. Nobody can fare well on their own. Everybody needs help. And if you’re wondering why should you help others, then be aware you’ve been receiving help from others almost every day.
Now it’s your turn to return the favor.
Let others know that you can help them with your talents.
# 3: To Earn Money
Your talents are precious gifts that can make you money. If you don’t blow your own trumpet, you’ll find making money difficult, if not impossible.
Let’s take an example.
Let’s say you set up a company with the best engineers you can find to fix computers. No company in the city comes even close to the expertise of your workforce. But you decide NOT to let anyone know that you exist. Will you earn money?
You know the answer.
And that’s why you must spread the word about who you are and what you do. Why do you think that almost every major company has a PR & marketing division?
You see, everyone blows their trumpets—actors, singers, politicians, businesses, consultancies, schools, and even your local vegetable vendor (He shouts out he’s got the best and the cheapest tomatoes in the market, doesn’t he?)
Because that’s how things work.
So, take a good look around and see if you can afford not to blow your own trumpet. It’s perfectly fine to let the world know what can you offer to make the world a better place. And that’s why it would be best if you let others know that you do exist and that you have what they are looking for.