What Is Your Internal Critic’s Name?
A Tiny Moment of “Facing Your Worst Foe”
The Moment
They loom in the distance but appear suddenly and swiftly when they smell blood. If you think you are doing poorly, they suggest you are doing worse. If you want to reach out and grab the stars, they tell you that you will get burnt.
They think you won’t ever be anything. What you dream will never come true. Why would you dare even try? Everything that has gone wrong is your fault and you deserve it. Use your addictions. Blame others. Give up. Stop trying. Fall into the failure. No one cares about you.
This is how an Internal Critic operates. My Internal Critic’s name is Ike Charles. IC for short.
The Reflection
The Internal Critic will pound you into the ground until there’s nothing left. The frightening part is that the relationship is parasitic. No host, no critic. However, you remain on emotional life support, because every virus needs a host and this son of a bitch likes to keep you barely breathing.
Everyone has this war to wage. Even the most outgoing people have a little tiny spirit that torments and picks at their every move. IC and I have been through many wars. Some days were darker than most. I began to get the upper hand when I realized his existence. I was aware of what I was facing.
It didn’t make things easier but knowledge helps you fortify your emotional journey. You will still have to learn to recognize what is reckless and what is righteous in your life. The Internal Critic merely wants you to end up on the floor face down.
Most things that I have accomplished in my life that were positive, I just did them and told Ike to take a flying leap. I weighed pros and cons, but in the end, I needed to take risks and have faith that what I was doing was right for me. You will too!
Everything that has failed or worked out has been my doing. IC takes credit for nothing, offers no advice, other than to tell me I’m garbage.
Hey Ike! %&?! you!
He goes to sleep when stuff is good. He wants no part in positive feelings unless he’s throwing clouds on those feelings. He wins only when I refuse to move or stop trying. Keep moving.
I cannot say these words by Marianne Williamson enough.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
The Takeaway
- Know how to put your critic to sleep when they wake up. They devour and thrive on inertia.
- Don’t confuse fatigue with doing nothing. Rested souls flourish.
- Fatigued thinking is not always correct.
- Find a way to coexist with your Internal Critic. They are always sneaking around in the shadows.
- You are great. You are powerful.
- The Internal Critic is your biggest bully coming for you. Stand up to them and watch them shrink.
Josh Kiev is an actor, chef, and has got something for his Internal Critic when he comes looking for trouble.
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