We pre-shit on ourselves so others won’t. We joke about how fat we are while trying on new clothes, or pooh-pooh our talents before sharing our talent. We hide our insecurities under a “cheeky” sense of humor.
Self-deprecation is healthy when it means being humble or witty, but continually calling yourself a loser becomes self-sabotage. You ruin the experience of you for others.
This goes for compliments too. We don’t believe ’em, and can’t accept ’em, so we poop on ’em, right in front of the giver. Like the cook who apologizes for the meal before you’ve tasted it. She may as well just spit in your soup.
Words have power. The problem with repeating negative mantras to yourself is that you start to believe them. Then others believe them.
Watch your words.