He's always talking himself up and saying how great he is, in other words.
It started off innocently enough. We work together, and it's a known fact he's very good at what he does. At first, the few self gratifying comments he was making I agreed with. They were few and far between and I thought there was no problem with letting him know I thought he was a great employee. These comments slowly started to increase in number and started to be about other aspects of his life, not just his career.
It's blaring obvious to me that he's insecure and needs to constantly talk himself up or reassure himself. This isn't a deal breaker for me, but I need some advice on how I can deal with this without being rude.
It especially bothers me when he goes on and on about how great he is at work. Like I said, we work for the same company, and although we work in two separate departments, it makes me feel bad about myself even though I know I'm a great asset as well. Just last night, I made a comment on how small our yearly raises are and how it's silly, and he started going on and on about how "Well, it's not like that for ME.", "I get so many hundreds of emails praising my work from clients". I'm a good employee too, but I don't go around screaming it from rooftops.
Later that night, he started with "I get complimented so much by clients that I don't know what to say. They just keep going and going and telling me they love me."
He even found it important to tell me that someone referred to him as "a gift from God".
He goes on about other things, like his athletic ability and how often he works out.
This turns me off entirely to whatever conversation we're having. I literally stop responding and don't want to be anywhere near him. He's a great guy and we have a blast when he's not making himself out to be wonderful. All of the things he says are true, but I don't want to constantly hear them. He's not humble at all and I don't know how to handle this.
Again, not trying to break up. What can I say when he says things like that?