indigostone07
Happy Valentine’s Day WEEK! Reflect on ways to not only love family and friends, but yourself. You should be the biggest cheerleader in your life. Healthy self-confidence is your armor to navigating the wild unknowns in life.
Welcome to part two detailing how to have unshakeable confidence.
Step 3: Conquer Your Inner Critic
You know that little voice in your head saying things like,” I’m not qualified for that job, what’s the point of interviewing for it,” or “I keep getting passed over for a promotion, there must be something wrong with me.” Those nagging thoughts telling you that you are not good enough come from your inner critic (or critical inner voice).
Your Critical Inner Voice, suggests following this 4-step process to conquer your inner critic:
Try to identify what your critical inner voice is telling you. Acknowledge that this thought process is separate from your real point of view.
Write these thoughts down in the second person (as “you” statements). For example, a thought like “I can’t get anything right. I will never be successful” should be written as “You cannot get anything right. You’ll never be successful.” This will help you see these ideas as an outside point of view and not as true statements.
Respond to your inner critic by writing down a more realistic and compassionate evaluation of yourself. Write these responses in the first person (as “I” statements). In response to a thought like, “You’re such an idiot,” you could write, “I may struggle at times, but I am smart and competent in many ways.”
Remember not to act on the directives of your inner critic. Take actions that represent your own point of view, whom you want to be, and what you aim to achieve.
Keep your self-talk positive. Find the opportunity to express gratitude. Remember we all have our good days and bad days. This too shall pass.
To be continued…
NEXT STEPS: Comeback next week, for the final installment on developing unshakeable confidence. Check out last week’s blog post encouraging you to take the first steps.
