Every one of us has a mental voice that keeps on feeding self-depreciating thoughts to the brain, making us think that we aren’t good enough. Though some of us might be blissfully unaware of this voice, it is constantly there making us doubt everything thus making ourselves our own worst enemy.
The thoughts and ideas that this voice puts in our head messes with our personal and professional life as well. However, there are ways through which you could stop feeling this way and have control over how much of an enemy you are to yourself.
- Make yourself familiar with your inner voice
This is the most crucial step. You need to be conscious of the thoughts going on inside your head. Unless you recognize the internal monolog, you can’t change it. Think about what the voice is saying and note it down. Then figure out ways to change it. It might take, and you might not feel good about it, but is something you need to do.
- Set realistic goals
Setting realistic goals in the first place won’t give your inner voice the chance to mess with your head. Know that you are enough and that you don’t need to work on perfecting yourself to accomplish your goals. Setting realistic goals also reduces the energy spent towards achieving what is impossible. Consequently, you get to have a balanced life.
- Challenge the enemy in you
It is imperative that you use positive feedback and healthy rewards to fulfill your goals instead of letting the internal monolog adversely affect your emotional state. So, try your best to tone down the negativity and amplify the intuition. Let positivity guide you to success in both your personal and professional life.
- Take out time for yourself
Invest some time in yourself and make self-care a priority. Help yourself first before you volunteer to help the other person. Take up an old hobby that you really loved. Take out time to read something to keep your mind running.
- Learn to say no
As a professional wanting to be better, rejecting new opportunities is a big struggle. However, one way to stop being your own enemy is to set boundaries so that you can sustain energy and focus on important tasks well. Don’t take up extra tasks that you are not passionate about. Instead, invest in your wellbeing and work on the things that matter. No good can come from spreading yourself too thin.
- Make choices you are happy with
The choices you make should create such a life that you are content with, and there is no need to rebel against the things in your life. If there is something going on that you don’t like, then you will find various methods of protesting against it.
For example, if you’re unsatisfied with the job you have chosen, you are going to secretly rebel against it by not giving your 100% or by being late often. Make sure your life is free from things that you can rebel against. Either you accept those things, or you can change them.
- Think thoroughly before making a choice
Before finalizing a choice, be aware of what you are signing up for. Know the negative and the positive aspects of your choice. Make sure it is one where you don’t beat yourself up in case things take a turn for the worst. Learn to cut yourself some slack.
- Change the questions you have
It is human nature to ask the wrong question. That is why you need to change that. Instead of asking yourself to list all the things that can go wrong, ask all the things that can go right.
- Stop being a procrastinator
Procrastination often results when things seem overwhelming and scary. The primary question is how do you break away from procrastinating? The answer is simple; take baby steps. Focus on the easy tasks that take less time. Then move onto other tougher tasks.
- Get rid of toxic habits
Breaking away from a habit can only happen when you are conscious of your actions. Once you realize that a habit is toxic, you can stop and get rid of it. Doing this will make a huge difference.
- Go for progress instead of perfection
Aiming for perfection tends to make us feel inferior, miserable, and insufficient. When we fail to achieve perfection, we start to feel incapable and unworthy. Again, cut yourself some slack. Aiming for perfection at the cost of your wellbeing isn’t worth it.
Apple these habits to your life and they are sure to help prevent you from stopping yourself when it comes to achieving personal and professional success.