Don't Listen to Them

Don’t Let Other People Affect Your Self Image

The reality is this.. if you’re still reading it’s highly likely that you do listen to (and care about) what people say about you. If you are comfortable enough in your own skin such that negative comments are like water off a ducks back, then you probably read the title, lost interest, and moved onto something more interesting.

Furthermore, I’m pretty confident that, like me, you are in fact your own worst critic and that the reason you take on board what others say about you is that you’re looking to reaffirm the falsehoods you already hold about yourself.

So, what to do?

1.   Realise you’re human. Scarily, I’ve found myself coming to the conclusion that I’m not a machine. Whilst I’d love to think that I can change anything that I don’t like about myself, the real-life scenario is that it’s an on-going process, not a quick fix.

2.   Trust yourself. Believe that you’ll get there in your own sweet time. Putting pressure on yourself to get a quick result will most likely have you travelling in the wrong direction - trying to stop thinking about pink elephants won’t stop you thinking about pink elephants – letting go of the thought will.

3.   Acknowledge what you have achieved. If you’re like me then the idea of treating yourself for a job well done isn’t as easy as it sounds. Patting yourself on the bag doesn’t need to be a magnanimous event. I find that a literal pat-on-the-back is enough to bring a self-satisfied smile to my face.

Mark lives in Istanbul, Turkey.