My daughter, who has just turned 16, is a huge fan of Taylor Swift. Because of her, I also got to know about Taylor and her achievements. Just few days back, when she won a Grammy award and gave her acceptance speech, I don’t know how I started loving and admiring her too. She showed the world that today’s generation is far more smart and intelligent, they don’t crib about others’ opinion, they don’t let others uncut their deserving success but they focus on their own work and let work speak for themselves.

Most of us have grown up in a social environment where a lot depends on how things get seen by others. You take decisions thinking what others would say rather than what you want to do. Ideally it should be the other way around. Decisions should be based on your own abilities and thought process. You can’t compromise the core for the periphery.

This is very important for all of us whether we are working professionals, students, or stay at home males or females irrespective of any age to avoid all the evil attention seeking people, circumstances, tasks or behaviours. Sometimes, it is very hard to be focused at work but this is the challenge to keep you in check from deviating. We get distracted several times in a day from our work, sometimes to attend calls or mails, to check updates on phones or social networking sites, to take a break, to browse internet or for a quick chat; but these distractions can be controlled through our behavioural changes. 

The trick lies in our ability to manage our attention. If we are conscious as to how we are spending our time, if our mind starts giving us signal as & when it notices that we are meandering into unproductive territories, half the battle is won. The balance half depends on our ability to exercise control and remain focused. While it is easier said than done, one can still achieve it with some amount of practice and self-control.

However, to extend this further, when it comes to protecting your image and focusing on your work at the same time, it needs some strategy, planning, confidence and will power to tackle such unwanted and unpleasant situations.

We can’t always be blessed and have no toxic people in our lives.

The best way to avoid any negative hindrance coming out in front of your work is to perform more, because performance overshadows everything else. Success shuts the cynics up and creates the silver lining in the cloud of negative banter. This way, you are letting the haters destroy their own credibility. The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your work and performance. To be more proficient and focused, you need to be emotionally intelligent too, to forgive and forget resentful people. It doesn’t mean you can give them another chance to bog you down.

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent” - Eleanor Roosevelt