Meet Mr. Nasty!

That annoying inner voice who unintentionally tries to destroy you.

I have a super-villain in my life, his name is MR.NASTY! He's always lurking in the shadows of my mind, waiting for the right moment to attack! Usually, when my defenses are low.

If I get a rejection from a potential publisher, he's there! "I told you that this was a dumb idea." 

A negative book review, yep, he's there too! "Well, at least I'm not the only one that thinks you're a fraud." 

If I say something dumb at a party, he's there to agree. "You clearly have no social skills, which is why you'll never succeed in life."

Why does Mr. Nasty say all these terrible things? It's to protect me from failure. To keep me safe. If only I listened to him, then I'd never get rejected, and I'd most definitely never fail. But if I listened to him, I'd never try anything new or outside my comfort zone. I'd never have a chance of succeeding at anything. If it were up to Mr. Nasty, we'd spend all day every day sitting on the couch eating chips and guacamole while watching too much TV.

Here's the thing, though, there's no way to get rid of Mr. Nasty. No matter how much success I have or how many failures, he's always going to be there waiting for his moment to pop his head out and be nasty. But I've realized I don't have to follow his advice or take his criticism to heart. After all, he's not me. He's Mr. Nasty. He's afraid. And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with being scared or worried. It keeps me on my toes as I venture into the unknown in search of my dreams. 

Note: Mr. Nasty is telling me right now that I shouldn't post this because it's all a bunch of nonsense. Maybe he's right, but then again, perhaps he's wrong. Either way, it's going to be okay.

Book Recommendation: On My Own Side by Dr. Aziz Gazipura. Transform Self-Criticism and Doubt Into Permanent Self-Worth and Confidence.

I found this book helpful. It’s a bit wordy but filled with some good tips on dealing with your own Mr. Nasty.