I once believed that when someone makes you feel small it was a bad thing and you should avoid such people but I've come to understand that it's actually supporting you in moving forward, that they're pushing you to go further with your life.
There's a big difference between being challenged by someone and feeling like you probably will never be enough. The first type of feeling is beneficial, it motivates you. The second type of emotion, the one that makes you feel as though you don't measure up is just toxic situation you're in. I believe that many of us confuse these two feelings so often, I know I do. I spent a lot of time in places where I didn't feel like I belonged. I figured I was sharpening my skills, but really what I was doing was causing myself increased levels of anxiety.
Some discomfort is acceptable when it comes to striving to be the best you can be, sometimes our discomfort is completely necessary. But there is also a point when you're no longer growing, you're doing nothing but performing or trying to prove something you don't even know if it needs to be proven, and most likely it doesn't.
In the past, I have worked alongside people who made me feel insecure, as well as those who made me feel worthy. The people who made me feel worthy were actually the ones challenging me more, just to be honest. They weren't easy on me so I was able to put my energy into being my best, rather than using my energy to keep myself feeling small.
Maybe at some point in your life you found the advice of feeling small from someone in your life helpful and beneficial or maybe now you can see both sides of the story.
But I think the right question now to ask yourself, has the feeling of inadequacy ever motivated me to grow or only to keep me trapped in a cycle of trying to compare myself to another person? These two results are completely different from one another and one of those two options is not going to help you in the future at all.
