'How often lately have you stopped and appreciated yourself or something you've done?' OK - while you try and think back to when you last did that, how about 'When was the last time you were frustrated with yourself or felt critical of the way you look or something you did?' If you're anything like me, the second question was WAY easier to answer!
We are all hyper critical of ourselves these days. Whether it's that we gained a pound or two or that we fumbled our way through a presentation at work. We're so quick to criticize ourselves and - let's be honest - others.
This negativity breeds more negativity and none of us really needs more negativity in our lives - there's already way too much out there in the world.
So, how do we counteract this and start to 'Look on the bright side of life?' (yep - Monty Python reference!!)
It's not all that hard - but it does take a shift in attitude. You need to start to look for the positives and then celebrate them. You don't need to go all Pollyanna but you do need to try to catch yourself doing something good and give yourself a little pat on the back. While you're doing that, try to ignore the negatives around you. We don't know what leads someone to snap at us or do a bad job on a project we're jointly working on. Everyone has 'stuff' going on in their lives. Try and give yourself a break and then extend that courtesy to those around you.
See how it goes for a week and let me know?
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