How many times have I heard people say, “I don’t think I can do that,” or “I hope I’m smart enough to succeed,” or “I just don’t have enough time.”
Sound familiar? Self-talk, especially negative self-talk, prevents a lot of capable people from ever realizing their potential. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
So how can you slay your inner critic; make that voice in your head stop saying negative things and just ask the question, “How can I succeed or achieve my goal if there really are some difficulties to overcome?” “How can I use my wisdom to balance the obstacles with the benefits of achieving success?”
One way is to turn your inner critic into an advisor
One way is to turn your inner critic into an advisor. Acknowledge that there are challenges. “Yes, it’s true that it will be hard work,” or “it is a difficult task,” but “I’ve been able to do things like this in the past, I can do it again,” or “I really understand what needs to be done and if I stay calm and get prepared, I can do this task.” Maybe it’s just that you want more time to relax but an opportunity arises that would help a lot of people and benefit you and you just don’t know what to do.
It’s all in how you think about it. Yes it’s true that the task is difficult but it’s also true that there are many advantages to taking it on. Don’t steal time from one part of your life for another; share time. It’s like conflict resolution except you are creating a good relationship with yourself. There isn’t a right and wrong; both sides are true and now you need to accept that and find a balance.
As Einstein said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same thinking that creates it.” Turn your inner critic into an advisor.
