6 Comments

Great story, Ryan!

I'm currently working really hard to let go of self-criticism because I know it doesn't help me.

I make myself and my skills smaller than I am.

I think if we don't consciously remind ourselves to focus on the positive instead of the negative, it's hard to let go of self-criticism because it's so deep rooted in us.

2 things that helped me:

1. Daily affirmations: kind and loving words I'm speaking to myself, which might feel weird, but they make a big difference

2. celebrating small wins: even though you didn't finish the marathon, you should celebrate every small step you took towards it. Every day, getting up running is a bigger achievement than 1 day running a marathon.

Expand full comment
author

Karina, I admire you for working so hard to let go of self-criticism. And I like your suggestions for self-affirmations and celebrating small wins, which I can attest to effectively changing that negative internal voice. Thanks for sharing your wisdom here.

Expand full comment

Keep questioning the inner critic—what a beautiful article, Ryan. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important topic with us. I recently wrote an eBook guide about the inner critic, and it’s great to see others reflecting on self-criticism as well.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for your words, Victoria, and I'm excited about your eBook. The inner critic is universally relatable and something we all must learn to work with to be free. Thanks for your comment.

Expand full comment

Hi Ryan, What you wrote resonated with me and reminded me not to repeat what my parents did to my kids while they were growing up. I remember all those painful comments about my grades. It's so true that many of us need to better understand why we are hard on ourselves, and when we receive criticism, we should learn not to internalize it.

Expand full comment
author

It feels good to hear what I wrote resonated with your experience, Os. Criticism is painful at any age, but especially as a child. Thankfully, there are tools like Karina mentions above that can help us as adults. May we all heal the old wounds and not allow new ones. Thanks for your note.

Expand full comment