• LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US

8WomenDream

Dream Big Stories

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
You Are Here Home » BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE » 3 Ways To Protect Your Self-esteem from Toxic Feedback While Dreaming Big

in BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE

3 Ways To Protect Your Self-esteem from Toxic Feedback While Dreaming Big

Last updated on January 22nd, 2019 at 02:08 pm

Ways To Protect Your Self-esteemGoing after your big dream requires that you protect your self-esteem. Setbacks, rejection, criticism, and lack of support can tear apart your self-confidence and cause you to consider giving up your dream journey.

You have to become your self-esteem protector by respecting yourself enough to stand up for your dream. You cannot allow anyone to take this journey away from you–even if that person is you.

How often has someone you’ve respected been disrespectful to you about what you want to do with your life? Maybe they were so hurtful that you couldn’t think of a way to communicate to them how they made you feel until long after it ended.

How much of your self-esteem did you let go of during the encounter?

Toxic feedback is never easy to counterargue in the heat of the moment, but here are 3 steps you can take to help protect your self-esteem:

1. Become a toxic people-evading ninja.

You can’t even begin to find your footing while you’re under attack. If it’s in person, walk away. By phone, hang up. Text or email, don’t respond. It doesn’t feel like it in the heat of battle but this is the most powerful thing you can do. You can always gather your thoughts and thoughtfully respond later when you’re calm. If it doesn’t actually require a response, don’t.

Those who are jealous of your dream journey will attack you simply to get you to respond, they may even conjure up extreme types of failures just so you’ll stay engaged to defend your dream choice, “That’s not true!” Then they’ll say you’re misguided for trying to defend your dream.

Know this: you cannot win. If they don’t want to hear or believe you, you won’t be able to convince them otherwise.

They can’t visualize what you see. They feel empty inside and want you to stay the same. Like a child, even negative attention is still attention that they crave. If you can walk away from their negative input, you can take control of your self-esteem. Not responding takes far more strength than whipping back a defense. Trust me. I’ve both remained calm and lost my temper when responding to toxic people who think my dream is silly and I’m much prouder of myself when I’ve remained calm.

Take the energy from a negative attack and translate it into the momentum to push you forward on your dream.

2. Don’t be afraid to let go of the relationship.

Boundaries are hard to set but often necessary. A simple “Stop it or I won’t interact with you in any way while I’m working on this project!” can often be enough to stop the negative feedback. We teach kids that it’s ok to say, “You’re being mean, I don’t have to play with you.” It’s perfectly acceptable to protect your self-esteem and your big dream. Your dream belongs to you.

As adults, we often forget that we don’t have to play with the people who hurt us. And that its ok to call them on their behavior. It doesn’t have to be nasty. It can be a simple “stop” followed by walking away.

3. Team up with fellow esteem self-defense dreaming ninjas.

Go to your tribe; your spouse; your best friends. The people like you who have big dreams or who believe in you. If the toxic person’s words get under your skin and make you question yourself, go to your tribe.

Believe in who you are and the blessings only you have to offer the world. Repeat to yourself:

“This is my dream. This dream belongs to me. The antidote to negativity is to take action on my dream!”

Above all, choose not to let toxic people define you or your dream journey. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it to protect your self-esteem and live the life you dream.

Iman Woods

 

 

Tell your friends!

Filed Under: BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE

Some of the posts on 8WD contain affiliate links or links to purchase products or programs from 8WD contributors. This means 8WD or the contributor may make a small commission if you make a purchase. The 8WD affiliate links help offset the cost of hosting this website and the contributor links help support the dreams of the contributor. Please check out the 8WD Legal Page for more details.

Thank you for your continued support!

« 10 Motivational Fitness Quotes with Inspirational Images for Triathletes
Never Assume You Know Your Client’s Budget »

Check it out

  • LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US


The 8WomenDream Dream Tote Bag

About the 8WomenDream Tote Bag
US – 10oz Cotton
Dimensions (External Dimensions)
• Height – 18″ (45.72cm or 457.2mm)
• Width – 15″ (38.1cm or 381mm)
Handle Dimensions (Internal Dimensions)
• Length – 29″ (73.7cm or 736.6mm)

Recent Dream Stories

  • Winter Solstice Celebrations: What to Do With 1 Minute More?
  • Starting Over as a Single Mom Wasn’t My Big Dream
  • Warning: Big Dream to Be a Motivational Speaker Won’t Always Obey Your Plans
  • Dance to Relieve Stress to Focus on Your Big Dream
  • 6 Tips to Avoid Get Rich Quick Scams as a Public Speaker
  • A Dream to Spread MLK’s Message of Love
  • Best Goal Setting Advice that Actually Works
  • 8 Solstice Traditions for Focusing on Your Big Dream this Year
Catherine Hughes on Dealspotr
Catherine Hughes
@8WomenDream
Let’s collaborate
Powered by Dealspotr

Inspiration

8 WOMEN DREAM | COPYRIGHT All RIGHTS RESERVED © 2023 ·