Silence the Critics

Everyone has critics. Especially when you are starting out in life.

There are Good Critics – Critics who lift you up and inspire you. Good Critics offer constructive advice and mentoring.

There are Bad Critics – Critics who tear you down and demotivate you. Bad Critics just criticize. They don’t help steer you in the right direction or mentor you.

If you are unfortunate and happen to work for (boss), live with (family members) or spend time with (friends) Bad Critics, here are some strategies that will help silence them.

Gain Expertise

Become expert at what you do. Study every day to gain more knowledge. Practice every day to become more skilled in what you do. This helps build confidence in your knowledge base or skills. The more you become an expert in what you do, the fewer mistakes you make and the quieter those Bad Critics become.

Distance Yourself

Separate yourself from the Bad Critics. This may mean getting a new job or it may mean spending less time with family members or friends.

Ignore Them

“Water off a duck’s back.” That was a phrase an old boss of mine used to say whenever one of our Bad Critic clients decided to criticize our hard work. Ignoring Bad Critics isn’t easy. It takes practice. You must gain complete control over the negative, emotional part of your brain (amygdala). With practice and over time, this becomes a habit and gets much easier to do.

You can’t avoid Bad Critics. They are everywhere. But you can quiet them, through daily self-improvement, eliminate them, by avoiding them, or you can develop a teflon outer barrier, by forging the habit of ignoring them.

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