The Ryan Leak Podcast - Quit Playing Small

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

It’s not self-promotion—it’s stewardship. Too many of us shrink back, afraid of looking like we’re bragging, when in reality, we’re just hiding.In this episode, we’re tackling the mindset that keeps people playing small—the fear of putting themselves out there, the hesitation to own their gifts, and the excuse of “I don’t want to self-promote.” But here’s the truth: If you have something valuable to offer the world, it’s not arrogance—it’s responsibility.We’ll unpack how to shift from insecurity to confidence, why visibility isn’t vanity, and how embracing your worth can create opportunities for others. It’s time to step up, show up, and bring your best to the table.Quit playing small. The world needs all of you.

Hello, my friends. Welcome to the Ryan League podcast. I hope you're having a fantastic day. Today, I want to talk to you about something I've been noticing more and more lately. It is an epidemic of people playing small. You know what I mean? It's like there are these people with phenomenal ideas, incredible. incredible talent and a massive amount of untapped potential.

But what they do is they consistently talk themselves out of showing up. It's like they're having an endless internal meeting with themselves and always coming to the same conclusion that what's on the inside of them, it's not worth sharing. It's not worth pursuing. It's not worth posting. But here's the thing. While they're busy debating themselves,

someone else is how they're doing it, sharing their ideas, posting their content, and taking that leap of faith. Why? Well, because they didn't talk themselves out of it. So why do people play it, small. I want to break it down because, you see, I believe for some people, it's a fear of failing,

which I talk about a lot. Nobody wants to risk putting themselves out there and falling flat on their face. Sometimes, it's actually perfectionism. That's why people play small. You see, they think their idea isn't polished enough yet. I play it small because, it's not ready. Other times, it's the fear of judgment. Yeah, that's another reason I think people play small. They have this. What will people say if I do this? What will people think of me? That's another episode, by the way. And then there's the classic assumption. Someone else could probably do it better. So why should I even try? Another one? Oh, the one that I really want to hone in on today.

Oh, the one I got to double click on today. It's the one I hear the most. Oh, I hear this over and over again. The one I hear the most is, well, I just don't want to be self-promoting. Yeah, I just, I just, I don't want to put myself out there. I don't want to be one of those people. But here's what's funny. in the process of avoiding self-promotion,

so many people end up becoming self-diminishing. It's like they're hiding their light under a bucket and wondering why it's dark. Let me ask you this. What would it look like if you got over it? Yeah, what would it look like if you started to believe that your voice, that's your ideas, that your contributions could genuinely add value to somebody else's life.

What if you believe that your life, that your dreams, that your books, that your podcast could genuinely add value to someone else's life? Let me tell you how I broke out of that cycle, because I used to feel the exact same thing. I think I had three or four years not on someone. social media because I didn't I didn't want to I didn't want to be self-promoting you see I broke out of this cycle because well one I started believing that I had something to share that mattered there's something that I know there's something I've experienced there's something that I do that could inspire someone else to improve the quality of their life and maybe it's a book that

I've read and I could share something with somebody that could help them have a breakthrough. Maybe it's a friend of mine that I know that has a new podcast and you should start listening to it and it could be the thing that heals somebody's marriage or perhaps it's just a perspective that could help somebody get through a tough day. I just one day woke up and started thinking, man, you know what? What if instead of making this thing about self-promotion, what if I just woke up every day and tried to add value to somebody's life? Could I have a career? Can I have a life?

Could I make all of my content about adding value to somebody else's life? That's what helped me break out of it. That's what helped me break the cycle. Let me make this personal for you. I've got this friend who has recorded, okay? This person has already recorded 20 videos for social media displaying his remarkable art. Okay, he's an artist and he's cold with it, okay? But guess what?

You already know what I'm going to say? You already know what I'm going to say. He has not posted a single one. I know people who have business ideas written in notebooks, but they haven't shared them with anybody. I know someone who drafts emails to pitch their services, but they never hit sin. I've seen people

who actually rehearse what they'd say in meetings, yet they never raised their hand to say a word. I've talked to people who've got plans to write books, but they can't even bring themselves to type the first word. If you've ever been in a place where you had something deep down inside of you that you know you wanted to do, but you just couldn't do it because you just did,

I didn't want to put yourself out there. I just want you to know you are not alone. But here's the thing. If you already recorded the video, hit post, dude. If you've already got the business idea, you already wrote it down. It's already in your notebook.

Share it with a friend. And do some research. If you've already rehearsed the pitch, just say it out loud in the media. If you've dreamed of writing a book, start with just one sentence. Because the courage to act is what sets you apart. Here's what's crazy. If you got a dream to write a book,

did you know you could write one sentence today and you could tell everybody in your entire life? Hey, guess what? I started on my book today. Isn't that amazing? That's how life works. It's amazing. I mean, maybe you've had a dream to start a business. Here's what I want you to think about. That dream isn't.

just about making money so you can quit your job and live on a beach. That dream exists because you believe the business you want to start can solve a problem or serve a need in your world. Or maybe you've wanted to write a book. That's not just about becoming a best-selling author. It's about believing that your story, your words could change someone's perspective or even their entire life. Or maybe you've wanted to write a book.

that's not just about becoming a bestselling author it's about believing that your story that your words could absolutely change somebody's life maybe you're not trying to be a social media influencer i get that but what if you shared your insights your creativity or your encouragement with just some people around you what if you just spoke up in a meeting at work not so you can say look at me but because you genuinely believe that your ideas could add value to the room. And guess what? I have the sinking suspicion

that what you've got on the inside of your brain could absolutely add value to the room that you're in. Here's how you get over the fear of being self-promoting. Understand that you're not being self-promoting. You're being generous. You're offering something of value to the world. You're showing up not to make yourself look good, but to make someone else's day better,

their job easier, their life more inspired. When you shift your mindset, from self-promotion to generosity, everything changes. Because it's no longer about drawing attention to yourself. It's about drawing attention to the ideas, solutions, and encouragement that could truly help somebody else. Now, think back to those examples I shared before. If you're the person who recorded the video, you better hit post, dude. If you got a business idea, listen, you got to take the next step. Do some research.

You would chat GPT? Listen, the amount of information you can get in 60 seconds is absolutely remarkable. I was talking to my barber the other day. He was thinking about starting a mobile barbershop. I said, hey, man, let me pull out chat GPT, and let's just walk through this idea right now. And in 60 seconds, we had a plan and a budget and all of the hurdles that he would have to overcome to see his dream come true. He had never used chat GPT before in his life. And in 60 seconds, he moved from, oh, this is an idea I got to an actual plan that he could actually

execute or he could actually look at the plan and go, you know what? Maybe that's beyond my capacity and maybe the ROI isn't even there. But he was able to move. move from, man, I don't know, to, well, actually, I got a few things that I actually know, and I can actually like start moving towards something. My friends, I just got to encourage you to stop overthinking and start doing something about what's actually going on on the inside of you. The reason I stop playing small isn't because I just believe that I can have value to people's lives. It's because I wake up every single day, now actively looking for ways to actually do it. And that's what I'm encouraging you to do. Ask yourself, what's something people in my organization

need more of? What something people in my world could use encouragement around? And then don't wait for the permission to show up. Show up because you believe you have something worth giving. Here's the truth. I will always admire someone who tries over someone who talks themselves out of being brave. Playing small might feel safer, but it's not where transformation happens. So stop second-guessing yourself because the world doesn't need a perfect version of you.

It just needs you to show up with what you've got, and you've just got to trust that it's enough to make a difference. So here's my challenge for you. quit playing small speak up step out hit post show up raise your hand write the first sentence chat gpt your business plan why are you going to do this not because you want recognition but because you believe in the value that you bring to the table and Just hear from your friend, Ryan Lake, I think you bring value to the table. Why?

You clicked on a inspirational podcast today. Why? Because you thought maybe you needed to be inspired, but the kinds of people that click on podcasts like this are the kinds of people that don't just need inspiration. I think there's something in you that wants to give it away to somebody else. So that's my hope for you today. is that you stop playing small because you can add value to the world around you. Thanks for listening to the Ryan League podcast. If today's episode helped you, inspired you, challenge you to quit playing small,

I would ask that you don't keep it to yourself and that you share it with a friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. Thanks for being a part of the journey, and I cannot wait for the next episode.