Don't Be a Negative Nellie!
We all make mistakes (just look at the Monday Night Buffalo Bills game against the Jets… ugh, ugh and UGH). I mean, we make mistakes every day and at any time. And when we make these mistakes, we can be awfully hard on ourselves, right? I mean, how many times have you said to yourself (mentally or out loud)… “You’re such an idiot” or, “Can’t believe you did that.” Too many times to count.
With that kind of self-talk who needs negative nellies or critics. We can bully ourselves just fine. And while many of us just pass off the mistake (and our reaction) as a fleeting moment of stupidity, negative talk like that does linger. It affects:
Our mood. Everything now seems harder to do.
Our actions. How we react to the mistake.
Our self-image. Maybe we are actually stupid?
But that’s all happening internally. What happens externally when you talk bad to yourself out loud.
Coworkers may begin to see you as less sure of yourself. Question your leadership. Friends might avoid you more as you dampen a mood. And your kids… well, they may just begin to adopt that negative talk, too. They are — after all — little sponges that soak up all we say and do.
So, how can you take down your inner critic?
Change the intensity of your language. Instead of saying “stupid” use “challenging.”
Don’t exaggerate your mistakes. It’s just one Moment… not the end of the world.
Give your internal bully a nickname. Separate those thoughts from the real you.
Think like a friend. Would your best friend talk to you that way? No? Then don’t talk to yourself that way.
There’s an old saying, “you are what you eat.” Well… you are what you think. So go easy on yourself. Talk positive and turn that inner critic into your own personal champion of positivity.
