Limiting voices

Negative Inner Voice, Inner Critic

Ways of dealing with the gatekeepers to change

• Why we have that voice
• How to deal with it in advance
• How to deal with it when it speaks

Why we have that voice
This is the voice that warns us of perceived dangers. It comes from our parents "Don't eat that, you will get sick", it comes from our society, "We don't do that here", it comes from our sense of self-preservation "It hurt the last time I did that.

The Inner Critic can use hurtful wording
(dogs growl and have sharp teeth)
Examples
Some of the things that the Inner Critic can say

• "You aren't good enough"
• "You are going to fail"
• "People don't like that kind of thing"

Actual comments from a student

• "I should just admit that I don’t have what it takes for this level of work!"
• "This whole process is going to take too long; I’ll never find the time."
• "I can’t make heads or tails of these statistics — How will I ever write them up?"
• "The committee will never accept this crap. Who am I trying to fool?"
• "I am so disorganized—I will never get it sorted out and finished!"
• "So what if I do finish? A degree and a dollar won’t buy a cup of coffee much less a decent job anymore!"