Too Much or Not Enough? It’s Time to Rethink the Narrative

Are you too big? Too small? Too loud, too quiet, too opinionated, too accommodating? Too verbose? Too brief? Too hands-off? Too intense? Too sensitive?

It’s a long list, and somehow, so many of us have found ourselves on it. We hear these phrases. We internalize them. Sometimes they come from performance reviews. Sometimes they’re dropped in meetings or passed along as feedback. And other times, they come from our own internal dialogue that constantly loops. Self-assessment and self-editing that can feel impossible to shut off.

Thinking man

Here’s the thing. If you're saying these things to yourself, that could mean you're paying attention. You're self-aware. And that's not a bad thing. Self-awareness is a powerful tool for growth. If you genuinely believe you're showing up in a way that’s holding you back, you have the power to shift. That doesn’t mean changing who you are. It means being intentional about how you lead, how you communicate, how you take up space. That’s work worth doing.

But what if this story isn’t even yours?

What if this narrative comes from someone else? A comment a former boss made. A piece of feedback taken out of context. A single moment that somehow became a headline in your internal story. If you're carrying that around without real data or perspective to support it, it's time to put it down and reframe the conversation. If this sounds like you, I offer free 30-min strategy calls—click here to schedule.

Because there’s a difference between feedback and opinion. Between self-awareness and self-doubt. Between growth and shape-shifting just to make other people more comfortable.

So ask yourself:

Is this a pattern supported by evidence, or just a passing judgment?

Is this something I can and want to adjust?

Am I reacting to perception, or staying grounded in who I am?

You don’t have to answer those questions alone. If you're ready to dig into the nuance, understand what’s fact and what’s story, and build an action plan that’s rooted in who you are — not just how you’ve been perceived — let’s talk.