There's a time to be humble, and a time to bring the thunder.

The balance between humility and confidence is key when building a fulfilling business and life.

That’s why I’m grateful for this constant reminder living on a wall in my apartment.

When I received my copy of Jim Knight’s book, Leadership That Rocks, to photograph, I instantly fell in love with the way it looked.

The cover was cool. The layout was interesting. And his font choices were on point. 

My favorite aspect, though, were the pull quotes. 

They’re big and bold, and just as badass as he is. 

During our strategy call, we went over the specifics in terms of what he needed most in his image portfolio, and then, a plan was put in place. 

Jim gave me a lengthy, creative leash to discover and highlight interesting phrases and elements within the book to photograph. 

As I was thumbing through the pages, I came across the pull quote that you see in the image above, and it deeply and immediately struck a chord. 

You see, for many years, humility wasn’t exactly a strong suit of mine until recently. 

Being the chubby kid in school that was picked on constantly, I had a rough road in the early days, and those experiences did quite a number on my self-esteem and general outlook on life in the decades that followed. 

So much so, in fact, that I felt the need to overcompensate in negative ways whenever possible. 

Since I was a consistent high honor roll student every year, I would throw that in the face of the people who made fun of me every opportunity that I could. 

I wanted them to feel like shit since they made me feel like shit. 

That approach stuck with me for a long time. It was my default defense mechanism, even as I moved into the professional world. 

While working as a television producer, I would feel obnoxiously competitive with my colleagues even though we were all on the same team. 

I always felt like my way was the only way, because I was the “best” field producer they had, and I made sure to let them know that every single time. 

And when I didn’t receive the praise I felt I was due, I would voice it on my own behalf to anyone within earshot.

Looking back, I realize this arrogant approach stems from never resolving my own insecurities as a child. But, I didn’t know any better and did what I had to do to cope, at the time. 

It wasn’t until I received therapy, worked with a life coach and enrolled in a positive psychology course in the years following my decision to strike out on my own did I become aware of this damaging, toxic way of thinking and behaving. 

Long story short, I realized I was behaving like an asshole, and that didn’t sit well with me.

Over the 4 years this intense and intentional self-care took place, I learned why I reacted in this manner, and more importantly, how to move past it to become the person I truly wanted to be. 

It was game-changing. 

I no longer need to derive my strength from shoving my accomplishments in the faces of others, and talk to them in a condescending, I-know-better-than-you, tone. 

I keep my mouth shut and allow my work to bring the thunder. 

This quote in Jim’s book encapsulated my transformation in such a magical way. 

And that’s why the photo of that quote now sits on a wall in my apartment alongside other book quote photos that resonate deeply with me, as well 🙂

Thanks, Jim, for unintentionally contributing to this project :)