Silencing Your Inner Critic
We live in a loud world. A world full of voices that always seem to be telling you something, no matter where you turn…
Yet today I want to talk about a particular voice that has an immense amount of power over us; the voice in our head, or our inner critic.
What Is Your Inner Critic?
Your inner critic is that small voice, in the back of your head, that too often tells you that you aren’t good enough, or you aren’t worthy.
It’s what causes that imposter syndrome that tends to show up during the most inconvenient moments and times of your life.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve been discounted, or overlooked… that voice tends to show up.
We all have to live with that voice, that inner critic, but the key is learning how to silence it.
Inner Critic Examples in 2020
Being the challenging year that it’s been, we might often find ourselves in situations where we feel like we are losing our strength, and to start to feel defeated before we even show up for the battle.
2020 is forcing us to confront more hard, discouraging situations than ever before. Yet what I’ve personally learned through hard times, failing forward, and silencing my own inner critic is how important it is to push through those hard situations, and difficult times.
Because pushing through, and enduring hard situations, gives you the courage to know that you can do it again.
It establishes a track record that proves, if you’ve made it through x, then you can certainly make it through y too, building up that confidence through the process.
Now, let’s break down some simple steps on how you can talk back to your inner critic, and silence it, so that it no longer derails you.
Steps To Silence Your Inner Critic
1. Recognize that you have worth
Remember, your worth is bigger than your job title, or a recent promotion, or your social media following.
Your worth is defined by the unique value that you have, and your sheer existence. Protect it, and treasure it.
2. Recognize that you are there for a reason.
When you find yourself in a situation where you might not be confident, or that inner critic might be starting to creep in… start with a simple first step: just show up.
Sometimes, just showing up is enough. So many others end up quitting, or giving up before even taking that first step forward, allowing their own inner critic to overwhelm them.
Not you. Take that first step, show up, and it can make a world of difference.
3. Tune into the voices that will inspire you, and give you confidence.
What do I mean by that? It doesn’t have to be literal people, it can be anything material that you have on hand, to help sideline that inner critic. Some examples that I frequently use are:
- Theme Songs
- Favorite Quotes
- Books
- Journaling
Any of the above help to keep my mind centered on the positive, and remind me who I am, and where I’ve come from.
These are just a few examples that work for me, you might have a few of your own that are better fit. If you do – do me a favor and comment below, let us know what brand centering tools work best for you. Sharing is caring!
Silence Your Inner Critic, For Good
We’re in this together. One of the first steps is making yourself aware of when that inner critic might be trying to cause you to stumble, or fall off track.
So start by showing up; there’s work to be done, plenty of opportunities to be had, and when you finally push through the hard part… there’s a fight that has been won.
I hope you deliver on a few of these small actions this week, and stifle that inner critic that is telling you otherwise. Remember… you got this!
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