Blind to the Feeling of Advancement

Recently I’ve been met with paired astonishment, me at them and them at me, when I under-indicated my skills in conversation. It doesn’t matter what skill in question. Taijiquan, writing haikus, or software development. My perspective is that I’m a beginner, maybe advanced beginner if I’m being generous. Not impressive. Theirs is the opposite. I’m flabbergasted at the praise and they seemed incredulous I don’t get it. It’s not a new occurrence but with it happening twice in quick succession, once with my taijiquan teacher and once with an acquaintance I’m hoping a friendship will develop with, it made me pause and take notice. And think about where the disconnect might be. They are both intelligent individuals and I take their opinion seriously. I also am aware, in vague terms, that I’m prone to undersell myself. I used to attribute that to my upbringing. My family was very critique oriented. But lately I’ve been thinking the root cause is something else entirely. I’m not 100% sure…