How many naysayers do you have in your life? People who constantly criticize and communicate that you are falling short? You can find them in your family, at work, and even in your social life. Most of us have at least one at any given time and sometimes lots more. Sometimes you can cut these people out of your life, but there are other times, you are stuck with them.
So how much attention do they get? Not just in-person face time, but mental attention – time you spend thinking about their criticisms, trying to answer them and defend against them, if only in your head. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is a truism and can be a good thing when it gets problems solved. But when we focus on someone who is squeaking only to diminish us and make themselves superior in the process, we have given them a destructive power. If you are spending lots of time defending against the idea that you are bad/wrong/failing/etc. you are taking away from time that could be spent focusing on your strengths, working on things that are meaningful, and getting things done.
Try this: For the next week, notice how much of your time and mental energy these naysayers get. When you catch yourself spending precious mental energy thinking about them, choose something else more productive and fulfilling to focus on. The more you do this, the more automatic this practice becomes and you will quickly see how much better you feel and how much more you can accomplish.