I’ve been wanting to get back into writing blog posts for quite some time. There was a time
when I was writing them weekly. Weekly! But, I’ve been stuck. I haven’t been sure about what to write about, so I just didn’t. But this is it, right? That stuck place I was experiencing is where we can all get held up. Thoughts like, “that’s a dumb idea,” or “I have to do something new and different,” or “who cares?” can stop most of us in our tracks. Thoughts like, “will this matter enough?” Because if not, what’s the point?
This is where faith comes in. I need to trust that where I’m struggling others are struggling. That we’re all human and are in this life thing together. And that addressing our struggles matters.
Because of what I do for a living I have the honor of going on more than faith. People share their struggles with me so I know first hand how debilitating a harsh inner critic can be for many of us. Don’t believe that voice. Not entirely—there are things to learn from our critical voice. For me, something like making sure a topic resonates with me before posting it in our newsletter makes sense.
But also, let’s not give that critical voice power over our lives. Our negative voices can be especially harsh when we’re navigating through something new. During this uncertain time of the pandemic, a time when the world is adjusting to a new normal—which seems to change daily, our negative inner critics are likely to get loud.
So here’s a challenge for all of us: Notice where your critical voice is showing up. Can you reframe that voice to something more positive, or neutral at least? Is it debilitating? And can you plan steps to move forward anyway?