Shrink Where? Five Signs You’ve Edited Your Story Too Much

A few years ago, I was updating my resume for a role that, truthfully, I was already doing. The title wasn’t mine… yet. But the work? The strategy? The team management? That was me.

Still, I hesitated.

I started the document like I always did. Bullet points. Verbs. Trying to prove I was capable without sounding like I thought too highly of myself. I left out the cross-office initiative I helped launch because it “wasn’t official”… “wasn’t technically mine.” I changed “oversaw” to “supported.” I deleted a business I started to support student-athletes in Jamaica. The same work that later became the foundation for One One Cocoa. I left it off because it didn’t feel “corporate” enough; didn’t feel like the US market would understand.

At the time, it didn’t feel like shrinking.

It felt like safety. Like strategy.

It felt like trying to be taken seriously.

But looking back, I see what I couldn’t see then.

I was editing my story to make it easier to digest.

And I know I’m not the only one.

If you’ve ever downplayed your experience, sidestepped your cultural references, or softened your accomplishments to make others more comfortable, this is for you.

Here are 5 signs you’ve been editing your story more than you realize:

1. You minimize your scope of work.

   If you’ve ever swapped “led” for “supported,” or left off achievements because your title didn’t match the impact, you’ve likely been trying to prove worth through humility instead of truth.

2. You strip away context that matters.

   Erasing how your cultural background or community experiences shaped your skills isn’t objectivity. It’s erasure. Those details aren’t distractions. They’re depth.

3. You second-guess how “real” your experience is.

   Maybe you ran a small business on the side. Maybe you managed family finances across borders. Maybe you organized community events. That’s real. That’s leadership. That’s you.

4. You rewrite your story in someone else’s voice.

   You mirror the way others speak. Strip out any flair. Sanitize your tone until it sounds like everyone else. But “fitting in” isn’t the goal. Being seen is.

5. You leave out the best parts. The parts that make it yours.

   The untraditional paths. The resilience. The quiet pivots. The entrepreneurial spirit that isn’t always backed by a job title. These are the blueprints. Stop hiding them.

I’ve spent too many years thinking I had to show up in a specific way to be respected. But now I know better.

The more I reclaimed my story, the more aligned my opportunities became. Not because I changed. But because I stopped hiding.

So if you see yourself in this, here’s your reminder:

You’re not exaggerating.
You’re not too much.
You’re not being dramatic.
You’ve just been unseen.

And the good news? That’s not permanent.

Start where you are. Say what’s true.

Stop editing yourself out of your own story.

Because wah fi yuh, cyaan un fi yuh.

~ Meisha