Criticism as a method of motivation

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A wonderful person told me once that if you are told something enough times - you begin to believe it. In both a positive and negative way.

As you’ve likely guessed, much of what I am comes, I think, from being told so often what I am NOT, what I DIDN’T do, how I SHOULD have done things, how much BETTER my grades COULD have been…you get the picture.

I have carried much of this negative perception of myself into my adult life, a stage of development where you are supposed to stand up and be counted. A stage where people DON’T blow smoke up your ass just to make you feel better.

So how do you begin to claw back some of the negativity? Is it possible to be told or say to yourself enough positive things so as to bring you back from whence you came? It is incredible how many times I have also been told that I AM a smart guy, I AM capable blah, blah, blah, but I just fail to see the positive in me.

Does anyone else have any ideas? I am seriously beginning to think that this, more than anything else is hampering my professional development.

I spend my meetings thinking just how clever the other guys and gals are compared to me, and in a split second rationalise this thought by considering their education to be so much better than mine just by thinking about a handful of events during school where my very average performance stood out.

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Filed under education, motivation

Tags: criticism, education, motivation