Today’s Work It Daily challenge is: shut down negative self-talk. It’s easy to let your inner critic control your life. Unfortunately, it will only bring you down and hold you back. When something goes wrong, it’s easy to beat yourself up for it. And while it’s important to be responsible for your actions, there’s a big difference between “I suck at interviews and will never get better!” and “I need to do more interview prep next time." It’s easy to let that negative emotion consume you. You’re emotional. You wanted a different outcome. You’re frustrated. However, it’s important for both your personal wellbeing and professional success to practice shutting down this overly critical voice in your head. This kind of negativity will bring down your mood, confidence, and satisfaction level. As a result, it can hurt your chances of landing that job or earning that promotion. When you lack confidence in yourself, people can tell. And if you don’t believe in yourself, why should they? Silence your inner critic by reframing how you think. For example, let’s say you’re frustrated that Bob got the promotion over you, even though you worked your butt off for it. Instead of thinking, “I suck at my job. No matter what I do, I’ll never get promoted!” Try thinking like this instead, “I’ll get the next one. What can I do better?” Whenever a negative comment about yourself floats through your head today, shut it down by reframing it to something more positive and actionable. How do you reframe negative thoughts? What’s your best tip for silencing your inner critic? Tell us! If you’re having trouble shutting down negative self-talk, consider working with our coaching team to get additional guidance.
