Few things push my buttons more than people waving their intelligence flags, leaving the rest of us cookies feeling like somebody forgot to put us in the oven.
If there are over 7 billion of us now, there are over 7 billion individual heads computing individual perceptions, thoughts, situations, feelings, interests, goals, and abilities. That's why it's so absurd for any one to boast about themselves, the things they've done, the places they've gone, and the experiences they've encountered. Every human has his/her own list of things they've done, places they've been, and experiences they've lived through. It's okay to share them, but not use them as ladders.
While raising us kids, mom and dad both used old adages to get their points across to us. Lord only knows how many times we heard, "Self brag stinks." Another one was "Don't judge me by what I don't know.....judge me by what I do know."
It's good to feel good about ourselves, but bad to fling our accomplishments and our knowledge around like spit balls. Sure, we all have our highlights that we'd like others to know about, but sometimes it's the way we go about it.
The best advice we can give ourselves is to stop and recognize and cherish the gifts, talents, and level of competence we have. Life is all about balance, so it's equally necessary that we recognize and appreciate the gifts, talents, and level of competence of those around us. No one ever said life is a competitive sport of who is better, who is smarter, who is more of this and that. Life is like a recipe, with different amounts of each ingredient, when mixed together, turns out to be the perfect formula for the ultimate goodness of all.