Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Everyone's a Critic

Is fear of people holding you back?

Caring about what others think about you is natural. It’s part of being human.

We’re communal creatures. But fear of what people think can also cripple you and prevent you from taking risks or pursuing healthy wants and ambitions. With the rise of social media, which drives us to constantly portray a perfect version of ourselves, our fear of negative judgment seems to have magnified.

6 Ways to Break Through Fear of Opinions and Judgments

1. Get to know yourself. Most of us don’t take enough time to examine what is truly important to us, which can lead to our fear of others’ opinions. Take some time to think about what you really care about and who you really want to be.

2. Get grounded. Distill your goals, desires, and favourite personal characteristics into a phrase that you can use as a shortcut when you need to remind yourself why you are doing something and why you shouldn’t fear others’ opinions.

3. Get committed. Take steps to follow through on your philosophy. Take a risk—even a small one—that will help you gain confidence.

4. Get positive. When facing down a fear of others, remind yourself of your strengths. Power-pose in the mirror before a big meeting. Stand tall, and focus on the task at hand and your strengths in completing it—not on what people hypothetically might be thinking.

5. Get perspective. We often think others are judging us more harshly than they are. In reality, the negativity is often coming from within—not without.

6. Get feedback. Ask others for advice and feedback, but only ask a small group of people who really care about you and whose advice you truly admire. This can help drown out the chorus of critics—whether they are external or internal.

Being confident and unafraid doesn’t mean you can’t be considerate of others or be a bully. It’s not about my way or the highway. Rather, it’s about having the confidence to make decisions and take actions that you believe are correct, while still taking others’ needs into consideration.

Source: Harvard Business Review

Everyone's a Critic

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