It has been said that we are all born 'the same, but not the same,' and that the only thing that fundamentally distinguishes one person from another is that some people turn out to be much more interesting than others. I spent many years trying to convince myself that I was a special snowflake. But a year of personal contemplation has somewhat disabused me of this delusion. I have realized that I am not special and that my life is quite ordinary.
It’s not that, but it does mean that you can educate and influence in the way that you want to, more or less, at any time, without having to wait for people to do the same.
If the self-promotion had a negative impact on the individual or the group (e.g., the individual was perceived as conceited or a “show off”), then the self-promotion probably didn’t help and, thus, was not worth it.
Speaking of speaking on behalf of others and commanding attention, Arianna Huffington has said that one of the reasons her book, “The Third Way,” was such a success was because she spoke in her own voice, and not on behalf of others. For Huffington, it is important to respect people’s dignity and individuality, which she said in no uncertain terms she would not do for someone else. Although Huffington herself has also referred to self-promotion as a dirty word, in this book, she explains that she sees self-promoting as a necessary part of her
The biggest risk you take as a public speaker, is trying to say one thing without also saying another.