Hint: your inner critic is NOT who you should be listening to.
If you had a friend who talked to you the way your inner critic does, you’d dump them. At the very least, you’d find a way to spend less time with them.
Why do you have an inner critic anyways? Well, it’s about how your brain is constructed. Your brain is wired to look for danger and threats five times a second. It’s always doing it. Blame it on the primitive brain, which is still alive and well in you. The primitive brain was surrounded by things that could kill you…scarce food and water, wild beasts who wanted you for food, uncertain neighbours who might kill you on sight. Your brain’s job was to keep you alive, so it sent you constant warnings.
Although we don’t live with that kind of danger so much anymore, the recent pandemic notwithstanding, our brain doesn’t know that. It keeps sending you warnings about modern-day dangers; things like: they didn’t notice your new haircut, you didn’t get invited to the meeting, no one liked your latest idea…painful, yes, but you’re not in any real danger.
You think you must listen to and heed these warnings.
Not true! You are not in danger if someone doesn’t like your haircut, your ideas or even you.
So, stop listening!
Try this ONE thing
Instead seek out people who uplift you and inspire you ever upwards.
Have a friend who sees your genius? Spend more time with them.
Have a colleague who always seeks you out for your wisdom? Take their calls.
Have ‘love notes’ from fans? Post them where you can see them everyday.
You are responsible for protecting your self-confidence so you can show up with all your fantastic gifts. Guard that at all costs by sending your inner critics and all other detractors on their way; they aren’t helping.
My wish is for you to be your most confident self. Join the journey by signing up for my blog at https://bit.ly/kltheonething or dropping me a note at karen.laidlaw.theONEthing@outlook.com.