Dancing with your Inner Critic

It can show up as a small persistent voice, nagging at you from the sidelines, or a big booming thing, all up in your face with a hands-on-hips attitude. You’ve may have tried ignoring it, silencing it, stuffing it down. All kinds of ways. But the feeling comes back.

When you tell others in your life how you feel, they usually point out all the ways that you are indeed good enough. It’s nice to hear, but it doesn't make the feeling go away.

Deep down, you know that you’re meant for big things. You want to have a life you love. You want to go for and reach your dreams. This feeling, however, sometimes holds you back.

photo by Tyler Lastovich

Here are 3 things to do when it shows up:

1. Get Perspective

Think of this feeling as just a part of you ... not all of you. You may notice other parts of you inside, too. (And, no, you don’t have multiple personality disorder if you notice other parts). We are all made up of parts. Name this feeling your “I’m not good enough” part. This can help shrink it down to a more realistic size.

2. Acknowledge It

Say to yourself “Well hello my I’m-not-good-enough part. There you are showing up again.” Acknowledging it can change your relationship with this part, from negative to neutral. This simple shift is powerful.

3. Be Curious

As crazy as it may sound, this part may have shown up to help you with something in the past that you needed help with. Take a step back and be curious about when and where. See what you notice. You may gain some insight about it that you never knew.