\u201cIn public avoid talking often and excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it\u2019s not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs.\u201d
\n\u2014EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 33.14
\nModern philosopher Nassim Taleb has warned of the \u201cnarrative fallacy\u201d\u2014the tendency to assemble unrelated events of the past into stories. These stories, however gratifying to create, are inherently misleading. They lead to a sense of cohesion and certainty that isn\u2019t real.
\nIf that\u2019s too heady, remember that as Epictetus points out, there is another reason not to tell stories about your past. It\u2019s boring, annoying, and self-absorbed. It might make you feel good to dominate the conversation and make it all about you, but how do you think it is for everyone else? Do you think people are really enjoying the highlights of your high school football days? Is this really the time for another exaggerated tale of your sexual prowess?
\nTry your best not to create this fantasy bubble\u2014live in what\u2019s real. Listen and connect with people, don\u2019t perform for them.\u201d
\nRyan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman. \u201cThe Daily Stoic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIn public avoid talking often and excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it\u2019s not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs.\u201d \u2014EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 33.14 Modern philosopher Nassim Taleb has warned of the \u201cnarrative fallacy\u201d\u2014the tendency to assemble unrelated events of the past into stories. These …<\/p>\n