We all struggle with our inner critic when we’re writing. We all have that nagging voice that says, “This writing is crap. It doesn’t make sense. You think you’re a writer? Ha!”
But I think we all also have our inner cheerleader when we’re writing, too, that voice that says, “It’s okay. You’re getting better at writing. You can figure it out! And, hey, that sentence is actually really good! You’re getting the hang of this writing thing! Good job!”
Every day, I deal with my own internal voices.
Sometimes I can be my own best cheerleader. I can read what I’ve written, love it, and visualize how my writing is changing lives. I say things to myself like, “I’m freaking awesome. I’m changing the world, one reader at a time. I’m bringing abundance into the world through every word I write!”
And within hours, I may be saying something completely different.”Man, I suck. My writing is just a regurgitation of what other people have already said. I might as well be talking in a vacuum. My life’s never going to change, and neither will anyone else’s.” Then, I head into an abyss of wallowing in self-depreciation.
Yep, all in the same day.
I would encourage you to start distinguishing between the disempowering voices and the empowering voices.
You get to choose who to listen to. In fact, you have to choose who you’re going to listen to.
I get to choose which voice I believe. The positive cheerleader is the voice that keeps me going and gives me the energy to keep trying. The Debby downer voice makes me want to go back to bed. Guess which one I choose to listen to?
When I truly started to pay attention to which type of voice (cheerleader or critic) was loudest in my head at any given moment, I noticed that my internal voices are influenced by what’s going on with my body. If I change something physical, it very often changes my internal dialogue. When I start to hear those Debby downer thoughts, I stop them in their tracks, and I change things up.
- I go for a walk.
- I organize my physical desk space.
- I go make a cup of coffee.
- I take a nap.
- I put my work aside for a while.
- I call my mom.
The point is that I make the conscious effort to interrupt the thought pattern. Once I do that, I find that those empowering voices start to bubble up again, and I focus on those.
There’s a saying, “Where attention goes, energy flows.” Turn your attention toward the positive, encouraging, “You can do it” voices, and you’ll find your energy flowing in that direction, as well.
Click below to watch my more in-depth video explanation. If you’re struggling with how to deal with your inner critic, take the next 15 minutes to watch this video:
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