All too often, people spend their working lives downplaying their own accomplishments and brushing off their successes. It can be hard to acknowledge compliments without feeling like you’re full of yourself; however, if you find yourself constantly diminishing your own role in a project or devaluing the amount of effort and originality you put into something, it might be time to break the habit of modesty. Here are 11 reasons you should own those successes and make sure you tell people how great you really are:

1. Downplaying your successes makes you feel less successful.

When you tell other people that something is no big deal, you might eventually start to believe it, too. But accepting credit for something you worked hard on will make you feel good; don’t listen to that inner voice telling you that it’s bragging or showing off. You accomplished something, and you should own that!

2. Accolades are a good thing.

It’s not the end of the world if other people congratulate you on something — in fact, it’s likely to make them view you as more successful and capable of taking on more responsibilities.

3. It might inspire others.

People who see you accepting credit for your success will be inspired to do the same. Creating a workplace culture of recognition and encouragement can lead to greater successes for everyone as people become used to being acknowledged for their hard work and appreciating each other’s ideas and effort.

4. If people really like you, they’ll be happy for you.

If someone congratulates you on a job well done and you say, “Thank you” instead of “It was nothing” or “Oh, I didn’t really do that much” you might think you’re being modest and that therefore everyone will like you instead of thinking you’re a big showoff. However, in reality, anyone who’s not a horrible person will be happy that you’ve succeeded and will encourage you to take credit where credit is due.

5. You’ll set a higher bar for yourself.

Instead of trying not to draw attention to yourself, you’ll realize that it’s OK — even good — to get noticed for the things that you do. This will lead you to do it more and more, setting more ambitious goals for yourself and challenging yourself professionally.

6. You’ll get noticed.

And, as we’ve explored above, getting noticed is a good thing. When your boss and people higher on the food chain notice how good you are at your job, you’ll stand out from everyone else.

7. You’ll appear more confident and capable.

Who seems more capable to you: The person who constantly says that they didn’t really do anything or the person who modestly but vocally takes credit for the things they’ve done? Although it’s often instinctual for people to try to downplay their efforts, someone who does this might appear too timid or not able to handle the pressure of increased responsibility. Be confident in your achievements and people will perceive you as confident.

8. People will think of you the next time they need a volunteer.

The next time someone needs an additional team member or someone to take on a big new project or someone to help them brainstorm, you’ll be one of the first people that pops into their head. Since you’ve presented yourself as someone who gets things done and gets them done well, you’ll be much more likely to be on your bosses’ and coworkers’ radars than someone who is always protesting that they aren’t really that good at anything.

9. It could help you advance.

Keep a list of your achievements and acknowledge every one of them. The next time you have an evaluation, you’ll have a concrete inventory of all the awesome things you did, and your boss will know that you did them, because instead of underplaying your own competence, you’ll have admitted that you were responsible for these successes. This might lead to increased responsibility and more money. Hooray!

10. It will show other people how skilled you really are.

Reminding others of what you can do isn’t bragging; it’s simply reminding them that yes, you are capable of doing many things, and that yes, you are willing to take on many more challenges. Pretending to be less skilled than you are will only make people underestimate you.

11. You take control of your life and learn to value yourself more

Instead of sitting by passively and waiting for good things to happen to you, you can take charge and ensure that you’re noticed and acknowledged when you work hard and get things done. This acknowledgement will also make you more appreciative of your own value in the workplace; instead of feeling like no one (including you) notices or cares when you’re successful, you’ll realize that your contributions are highly valued.