How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy, where we’re quick to nitpick every detail of the progress we’re making and harshly criticize our accomplishments, making it difficult for us to accomplish more or to even get a simple task done.

Does this sound familiar?

Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.  Louise L. Hay.

If you want to stop being your own worst enemy and create a pathway to successful living, you need to learn how to stop focusing on your weakness and start learning how to focus on your strength.

The good news? I’ve got some steps to help you do just that. 

1. Understand That It Won’t Stop Unless You Stop

Self-criticism is normal and even healthy in small doses, but as the saying goes, look around and if you can’t spot the sucker, it’s you!

The best way to stop being your own worst enemy, is to stop criticizing yourself.

When you approach things with a negative mindset, it’s paralyzing and sometimes makes you feel more insecure about criticism from people who may not have your best interests at heart.

Approach things with a positive mindset even if you feel down and you’ll begin to understand that you’re being the best version of you right now,  and you’re more than enough to tackle the projects at hand.

Unless you start approving yourself and stop worrying about others, you simply can’t get rid of that inner enemy but the moment you decide to look at yourself differently and choose to accept that you’re the best person for the job, everything starts to change.

2. Turn Criticism Into Motivation

Sometimes, the best thing you can do when you find yourself being your own worst enemy, is to not give your inner critic space or time.

What you can do is allow all self-criticism to motivate you towards taking control over your mind.  Remember either you master it, or it masters you.

Stop fixating on your weakness and start turning your weaknesses into your strength.

If it feels like you suck at something, find out what the opposite of that thing is, and start working on yourself to get better and more accomplished at that task.

The opposite of thinking negatively for example, is to start feeding your mind positive information. And If you often procrastinate, the solution is to reflect on why you’re not getting things done and see how you can improve based on the weakness you discovered.

That’s how simple it is to turn self-criticism into motivation.

3. Quit Negative Self-Talk

A  Scribe once wrote: what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

The tongue has an incredible power; it has the ability to speak life and death.

Encourage yourself to speak of life and positive things all the time. The blunt truth is you will always attract the things you say to yourself.

Start paying attention to your speech throughout the day; analyze it.

Is it full of positivity or are you focused on negativity more often than not?

Bring awareness to your speech and work on speaking positive things over your life.

You’ll be amazed at how transformative this is.

C. JoyBell C said it so well: “The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself. 

Truth be told we can either be our own best friend or our own worst enemy, but we can’t be both.  Choose wisely.