How To Deal With Self-criticism — Might’s Story
Might was conceived as an altruistic child — a female born of beauty and self-passion. As a baby with dainty eyes and magnificent black hair, strangers would plead to cradle her, as they believed such a child would supply them with utmost luck.
On nights when Might cried, her mother would display a golden mirror towards Might’s fore. Although the mirror did nothing but radiate her beauty, and as if under an influence; she would laugh and bring her mother rest.
Amidst the age of puberty, Might wasn’t the usual kid — she was loved by all and was even considered the honeypot of the town.
“You’re so pretty and confident.”
“You have such a slender body, Might, no wonder you walk so gracefully.”
“Become a Model, I bet you’ll be on television someday.”
Her ears absorbed the hailing she heard from anyone and anywhere, and as expected, she lived her life expecting to become a model like what the others recommended. On lonely days, she would daydream about catwalking the runway of some fashion pageantry. And on cold nights, she would dream of wearing a sash made of golden fabric and holding a bouquet of roses, daffodils and tulips wrapped together with white ribbon, and a conclusion of an auditorium full of people cheering her on.
When Might became of age to make the tier of contestants, she believed in all she could, with her confidence first. Yet, luck wasn’t her best friend; for this reason, she was evicted in one round. She didn’t give up; she tried a second time and even a third time, but failure took hold of her.
Inhumane thoughts began to flood Might’s mind, and gradually, she became the exact opposite of the confident little girl she used to be. She no longer looked herself in the mirror with in-depth love and cheer, she became a beast to herself and her mind and body hated her for it.
Everyday Might picked up something skillful to do; she would project herself in a dystopia, where her god (her mother) demoted her from being the brightest star hung on a starry sky to being a negligible grain of sand that couldn’t be marked apart.
However, Might forgot that every grain of sand that was insignificantly stepped on, mattered — that grain of sand contributed to holding the earth together, and if that grain of sand grew bigger; it would become an ostentatious mountain.
Life is an adventure; a tremendous journey with obstacles set out to discourage humans. Life is not a 180-degree straight line — you may face impediments created to make you fail. On the other hand, one may only overcome those hurdles if they keep trying.
It is extremely important to understand that failure is a step forward to success. The only way to keep moving is to pick yourself back up to finish what was not completed, instead of spending time questioning your abilities.
Self-criticism is a delusion that occupies your mind and plays doubtful games with your heart. The battle is between your melancholic delusion and your optimistic being. If you strive to win, expect self-development, but If the former wins, depression sets in.
Self-criticism is a psychological issue; thus, everyone deals with it at one point. Nonetheless, there are ways it can be dealt with,
§ Stop comparing yourself to others; “J. K. Rowling is such a good writer, If I can’t write like her, then I rather end my writing career.” such a statement shouldn’t be said. If you can’t recognize your abilities, then no one will. You have to deem yourself fit for whatever you do and look for methods to develop yourself.
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.”
-Romans 12:6 (KJV)
§ Surround yourself with positive thoughts and optimistic people; Listen to TED talks and inspirational podcasts to help you stay productive. Associate with only people who will correct you and give their honest opinions about your career difficulties. This is a major role because being with people who only look for ominous ways to degrade you by being boastful will lead you back to comparison.
§ Confidence and encouragement is the key to self-development; Every person has a quality of being their own personal mentor — if you can look yourself in the mirror to encourage and advice yourself, then shunning self-criticism wouldn’t be a problem.