Why we undervalue our own brilliance (and why it doesn’t serve us)

Lots of people are brilliant – genuinely, quietly, effortlessly brilliant – but absolutely hopeless at admitting it.

It’s not false modesty. It’s not insecurity. It’s not a lack of confidence.
It’s familiarity.

We are so close to our own skills, our own processes, our own magic, that we don’t see it anymore. What feels ordinary to us feels extraordinary to someone else.

We talk ourselves down all the time:
“Oh, we just do our thing.”
“It’s nothing special.”
“It’s not that complicated.”

But here’s the truth: it is special. It is complicated. It is the thing that sets you apart.

When we’re working with clients at F&E, we see it instantly – the spark, the substance, the thing that makes them not just good, but exceptional. And without fail, they wave it away like it’s nothing. Because to them, it feels like nothing. They’re used to it.

And we’ve definitely been guilty of doing the same thing.
We’ve caught ourselves trying to soften our language, simplify our claims, downplay our expertise. It’s classic “don’t make it sound too big” energy.
But minimising your brilliance doesn’t make you humble – it keeps you invisible.

So here’s a truth we wish more businesses embraced: You don’t need to inflate what you do. You just need to fully own it.

Confidence doesn’t mean shouting.
It means stating your value plainly and letting it stand.
It means naming your strengths with honesty, not hesitation.
It means trusting your work to speak for itself.

So, if you’re guilty of brushing off your brilliance, here’s your permission to stop.
Acknowledge it.
Own it.
Put it in writing.
Let people see what you do well.

Hiding your strengths doesn’t serve you.
Standing in them, calmly and confidently, absolutely does.

Peita