The inner naysayer can sometimes be the loudest voice in your life. It points fingers, shakes its head when you take risks, reminds you of our past discrepancies, and it speaks up when you are most vulnerable.
You'll never get that job. You'll always be overweight. You can never start your own business.
You always pick the wrong mate. You'll never get out of debt. Nobody likes you.
It’s possible to distance yourself from negative people or negative news, but how do you get away from the Negative Nancy residing inside your head. The inner naysayer has been building a case against you for many years, even decades. Like a sharp prosecutor, it will tell you it has the evidence to prove your crappy track record. Here are some thoughts on how to defend yourself against the inner naysayer.
#1 Forgive Yourself
When the inner naysayer brings up past discrepancies, forgive yourself. Remind the inner naysayer that you are human and make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
#2 Reframe
Reframe the inner naysayer’s statements from the present tense to the past. Rather than, you'll never finish that project, tell yourself, It's going to take some time to finish the project. Let this new statement be a catalyst for change. Take hold of what the future has to offer. You can only change the future.
#3 Go Neutral
If the inner naysayer goes to the extreme of negativity, move the line more toward the middle. It's hard to go from, I'll never get hired, to I'll get a job that pays $1 Million. Instead, say, I will get hired in three months. Take small steps toward a more neutral perspective.
Even though sometimes there may be a semblance of truth in what the inner naysayer exposes, its goal is primarily destructive. It wants to remind you what you are lacking, keep you in self-doubt, and squash possibility.
Say NAY to your inner naysayer!
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