Killing the Troll of Self-critique

I am hard on myself.? People tell me that.? And I know it.? Nothing I do is ever good enough…?

… There's always something that could have been better — faster, sooner, smarter, greater.?

This thinking helps me get some stuff done.?

Ironically — it also, sabotages me, in the pursuit of some other goals… Because it's hard doing some things, when I'm busy beating myself up, over other things.?

When I look at my to-do list, my things-to-improve list, and my project plans… there's nothing in there, that says what I've accomplished, or what I've done well.?

I only see what's still pending, not done, needs fixing.?

And even when I've done something, I don't strike it off from my to-do list immediately.? There is a lingering thought — that something could have been done better, or ‘more completely’.

AND — When you look at something long enough (like those lists above), you start to believe it.?

So again, the very tools I use to advance my goals are also the very tools that can sabotage some of my efforts in achieving them.?

I call this phenomenon the troll of self-critique.? And I'm killing it today.?

Or at least, I'm keeping it out. I'm building a wall.?

I call it the Affirmation Wall.? ('AW' — pronounced 'Awww...')

Since I started my ‘1% Better Everyday’ newsletter, I've been getting lovely responses from friends and new acquaintances who subscribe to my newsletter.?

They're tremendously encouraging, (yeah, kind of flattering), and deep inside… gratifying to know — that what I do, can also help someone else… not just me.?

Today, I'm putting up the wall by printing evidence of such affirmations (all the DMs / text messages that I'm getting on my effort).?

I'm printing affirmations that I can find — about what I'm good at, and what I've done well...

... And I'm blocking out the Troll of Self-critique.

To recount my actions for getting “1% Better Every Day”…

1. Day One — Make a Public Commitment
2. Day Two — Set Moonshots. Kill Small Goals
3. Day Three — Raise the Stakes
4. Day Four — Plan to Fight Intelligently
5. Day Five — Write My Anti-Goals
6. Day Six — Reduce Wine Consumption
7. Day Seven — Design (and Establish) a Routine for Rest
8. Day Eight — Build an Emergency Contacts List
9. Day Nine — Make Time to Get Naked
10. Day 10 — Understand the Hard Times Growth Paradox
11. Day 11 — Stay Strategic, but... Make Time for Craft
12. Day 12 — Create a Plan to Increase Effectiveness on LinkedIn
13. Day 13 — Create an Inventory of Bottlenecks, Friction & Flow (BFF)
14. Day 14 — Screen (my phone) for Distractions
15. Day 15 — Conduct a 'Noise Audit'
16. Day 16 — Learn to Embrace 'Nothing'
17. Day 17 — Get Out of Bubble Trouble
18. Day 18 — Design Great Transitions
19. Day 19 — Create an Intermittent Fasting Habit
20. Day 20 (Today) — Kill the Troll of Self-critique / Put Up an Affirmation Wall

Let's see what tomorrow brings...