Negative People

I’ve talked about the influence of negative people in previous articles but it is important enough to warrant repeating. Passing acquaintances that make you feel bad about yourself are easier to cease interacting with, but long time friends or even relatives are much more difficult to deal with. At least recognizing them and adopting ways to become more proactive about your relationship with them will minimize their influence over you.

If you tend towards a self-abasement approach: “That was horrible”; “Oh I did it wrong again”; “Why can’t I ever…” you have mistakenly internalized past destructive criticisms from others and have become your own enemy. You may find it beneficial to inspect your life for negative people who have criticized you “even as a friend” or “for your own good” and then distance yourself from them.

If they really were your friends, they wouldn’t continually provide reasons why you can’t succeed by pointing out faults with no remedy. Along with learning to change your approach to self-critiquing, it is important to be alert to the type of criticism others may give you. If you know when you are being given destructive criticism and what the effect of it can be, perhaps you will be less likely to let it thwart you.

When you use constructive self-direction and associate with positive people who are supportive, you grow stronger, more confident and advance your career. Wishing you success.