For some of us, the people who taught us when we were young might have been tough. They believed that by being rude to us, they were also helping us build character and succeed.

Whether their approach was effective or not, their voice stays with us. We learn to be rude to ourselves in the hopes of performing better. 

For example, even when we experience success, we celebrate for a split second before we realize how much we’d missed out on. 

When we experience setbacks, the rudeness escalates in the hopes of shocking us into getting back on track.

It’s worth developing a counterbalance to this inner voice of rudeness. Being rude to yourself—which also expresses itself to the people around you—may have gotten you here, but there’s a limit to how far it can take you.