So, if you’ve EVER found yourself paralyzed by fear and self-doubt, then this episode is for you. Maybe you have some legitimate reasons for doubting yourself. Or maybe you can't stop the voice from repeating all the stuff the naysayers have told you your whole life. Then again, maybe it’s a bit of both. Either way, you can't seem to get past the BS in your brain. You're constantly thinking these negative thoughts. That nasty inner monologue just won't turn off. It won’t let you do the things that you really need to do.
In this episode, Jayne and I reveal 5 proven and highly effective ways to silence your inner critic.
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That voice. That annoying, incessant voice. No, I’m not talking about Janice, Chandler’s ex on Friends, or Fran Drescher’s character in The Nanny.
I’m talking about the voice inside your head that keeps telling you how broken, stupid, useless, and unimportant you and your dreams are.
That voice who knows everything about you and takes a sadistic pleasure in reminding you of every flaw, in every part of your life.
The voice that reminds you…
… just how disappointed you are with your lack of success in business.
… how unsatisfied you are with the person you’re becoming, or NOT becoming.
… just how stuck in the starting blocks you are, again.
But here’s the thing…
The most dangerous thing about being held captive by your inner critic is NOT that you are ruining your life. Not even close. The real risk is you end up wasting your life.
Afterall, if you are ruining your life, at least you’re taking action. But when you’re paralyzed by fear and self-doubt because of all the nasty things your inner critic is saying, then life just wastes away.
And that’s not what I want for you. You are meant for more. You’re just settling for less.
Maybe it’s because you’re frustrated with where you are and because you’re confused about how to silence your inner critic.
Maybe you’re unsure about HOW to break the cycle and finally get on with your life’s work — whatever that is for you.
That’s ok. That’s exactly why I decided to write this post for you.
And as you continue to read, you’ll discover my top five go-to strategies for silencing the inner critic so you can finally get on with your life’s work.
And yes, even though I’m writing a post about how to silence the inner critic, I still deal with the critic. Daily. I’ve just trained myself to identify when the critic is talking. And, I’ve learned to use these 5 strategies to shut him up.
STRATEGY #1 — ACCEPT IT
Probably the number one mistake I see people make when dealing with their inner critic is believing they shouldn’t have to deal with it.
Everyone has an internal critic. Everyone. No matter how successful. It’s just part of being human.
Still, so many people make themselves wrong for having negative self-talk. Of course, that just fuels the fire of the inner critic.
So, the first strategy is to notice and accept the critic. Don’t make it right or wrong. Just notice and accept it’s trying to call the shots. Then move on to…
STRATEGY #2 — SHIFT PERSPECTIVE
Your internal critic is like a magician on stage. It shows you one skewed perspective. It designs its act so you believe the deception.
However, if you were to step to the side of the stage, you’d see how what seemed like magic is actually just a series of clever mind tricks.
That’s why one of my favorite strategies is to pull myself “out of the audience” of the inner critic and shift my perspective.
Here are a few perspective shifting questions I use to see through the illusion my inner critic is trying to create:
- What’s REALLY going on?
- Where are these thoughts really coming from?
- What would I tell my child if he was wrestling with the same self-talk?
As soon as you notice and accept the critic is talking, fire back with these questions. The critic will fight back for a while. But the better you get at asking and answering these questions, the sooner you’ll see through the critic’s act.
STRATEGY #3 — GET PHYSICAL
Perhaps one of the fastest, most reliable strategies to shut up the inner critic is to simply get moving. To change your physical state.
Smile, stand-up, scream, walk around, hold your shoulders back, exercise. Your emotions and your physiology work hand-in-hand. You can’t force a smile and not start feeling good.
In fact, an article on Psychology Today’s website says, “smiling during brief periods of stress may reduce the body’s stress response, regardless of whether the person actually feels happy or not.”
Research has also reported that smiling and/or exercise releases endorphins (natural pain relievers) along with serotonin, which is associated with “feel good” properties.
Once you’ve shifted your physical ad emotional state, it’s a great time to implement…
STRATEGY #4 — ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
I don’t know why, but it seems like the default questions the inner critic serves up are always negative…
- What if I run ads for my business and they don’t work?
- What if I invest all this time in creating a program for my audience and no one buys?
- What if I can’t really help the people who do buy?
These are all weak questions. They are worst case scenario questions. And they create a downward spiral of doubt.
What’s far more effective is to ask better questions. Questions like…
- What if my ads work and I find the perfect clients?
- What if people absolutely love my program and their lives are transformed?
- What if I hit all of my goals faster than I ever dreamed possible?
Notice how much better those questions FEEL just reading them? I know they feel a lot better to write than the previous set of questions. I could literally feel the spiral of hope and possibility fire up in just the few seconds it took to write out those three questions.
STRATEGY #5 — DO WHAT’S NEXT
Your inner critic loves to complicate things. One of the ways it does that is to get you thinking too far ahead. Your critic will try and get you focused on step eight, or eighteen, when you’ve not even taken step one.
That’s why one of the best ways to silence the inner critic is to take the very next small action you can take. And while this is not new advice, it is timeless.
Do the smallest thing you can possibly do right now that moves you forward. Then, do the next thing. Then the next. One step at a time. Over and over.
For instance, maybe you are a coach or consultant who needs to find more clients. Maybe you want to get your message out to the world in a powerful and impactful way that doesn’t take all your waking hours.
If that’s you, then let me offer you a “do what’s next” suggestion…
I’m holding a masterclass that reveals a strategy which allows you to silence your inner marketing critic and begin moving your business forrward.
In the class, you’ll discover what the top 1% of coaches and consultants know about finding the right clients, at the right price, anytime they want.
Register here:
What The Top 1% of Coaches & Consultants Know That You Don’t
Whether you choose to click the link and register, or not, is up to you.
Just make sure it’s your choice and not the inner critic keeping you from discovering a proven strategy that could completely transform your business and life as a business owner.
If you’re interested, then what’s next is to learn more here.
Either way, I hope you’ll begin to use the strategies above to silence your inner critic and to finally get on with your life’s work.
Talk soon,
Russ Ruffino
Founder, Clients on Demand
