If somebody said to you…
- “Look how fat you are.”
- “You haven’t a thing to offer a new employer.”
- “You’re so dumb you’ll probably say the wrong thing.”
You’d be highly insulted – and rightfully so. You might point out their rude behavior – maybe even say how inappropriate their comments were. At the very least, you’d expect an apology for these actions, right?
But what if it’s not another person saying those things…what if it’s YOU!
Far too often that’s exactly how we talk to ourselves. Some call this “negative self-talk” – and I’m just as guilty as anyone. This inner critic isn’t something we’re born with – it’s developed from our day to day environments. Maybe it’s the sting from the bully on the playground, a domineering relationship which robbed you of self-worth or a lack of verbal praise and affection from those you needed to hear it from most.
Regardless of the circumstance, our negative self-talk ignores all the good that we do, all the successes, and instead supports and propagates a feeling of insecurity – which many times is unwarranted.
The sadly many of us don’t even realize how we talk to ourselves.
While there will always be external critics, it seems the greatest will come from inside of us. But at some point in life we have to remind ourselves that we are so much more than we believe; so much more than we see with our own eyes; so much more than the negative self-talk that at times can cripple us from living.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once remarked, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Definitely words to live by.
