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My take on this - and it's purely theoretical, I've not tried it myself - play a game with yourself. Think about making people find out on their own about how well you did something. Show them rather than tell them. Let them discover it themselves. Let them ask the question and then answer it. If you did something brilliant, then that's great. But the bottom line is most people don't really give a shit about anyone else's brilliant achievements, until you tell them about them and then they think you're arrogant! Telling it how it is is fine. But when it's about yourself, sometimes it's best not to tell anything. If people want to know something about you, they'll probably ask. Then if you answer, that's not arrogant.
Also, why are you saying those things? Is it really because you've just got a direct personality? Why do you want to put something like that on your facebook status? Is it really just because you're direct, or is it because you're trying to grab attention? Why do you need attention? And as a genuine question that I don't mean to be insulting, but I do mean as a real question that could be part of the problem, do you actually back up the stuff you say? Do you just boast without actually being all that great? People who can talk a good talk often can't walk the walk, so try to make up for it by over talking!
Humble people in general don't really need to tell people stuff about themselves. They are happy and confident with their achievements and don't feel the need to prove them to other people. Also major bit of advice - start caring about other people more than you in face to face conversations. People like to talk about themselves, but they also see it as negative when you talk about yourself (go figure!). So don't be telling people how great you are, instead talk about them a bit.
But I think my main bit of advice would certainly be what I said up top - don't directly tell people about your achievements, let them find them out for themselves. It's far more effective anyway, and makes you look less arrogant.
Man this is all great advice right here. I particularly love what you said in the first paragraph with the game. It really solidified what I felt somewhere that you should tell it like it is but when it comes to yourself you should let people find out. It hits some of those zen-like overtones of "eliminating the self" for success and such I feel like too. Almost like you should entirely ignore yourself.
I took what you said in the following paragraphs to heart too. I definitely am one who wants to constantly be the center of attention. With this there are many elements of that for sure. In the more recent years of my life I have started heavily slacking and it has only been recently that I have recovered my drive. I think that is a major factor in my bragging because people around me are use to me being kind of a deadbeat loser that no one has much respect for. I want them to see and respect the change as quick as possible. Talking about it is not the way to do it though. You are definitely right on that.
From all of this I am gathering that I just need to calm down and trust that people will see the change over time and that it should not be forced. I want to make a habit of exactly what you described with the game as well. If I feel the urge to brag (DHV?) it should be through a way that they provoke the question instead of me directly talking about it. I think that if my friends and I got in the habits of talking eachother up infront of the new groups that it would come across much better too. I have read a lot about mystery and style doing that back in the day.
I feel like I have a new set of tools to handle this issue with but please everyone continue to share your thoughts as I am greatly interested.
CHAT
Just try to be better person step by step and it should go well. Of course if you are successful you should not be super nice and super humble, because it just won't be natural you. So just improve a little bit here and there.
