The Inner Critic Demands Your Best
Think of it not as your enemy but as your overly emotional cheerleader.
“It is an inner critic that refuses to tolerate less than your best.” — William G. Bainbridge
We love to hate our inner critic.
But is it’s anger directed at us?
Or what might have been?
Our inner critic is the most vicious of them all. It knows what buttons to push. And it does so relentlessly.
And who does the inner critic remind you of? It may be a parent, a past teacher or someone else who looms large in our lives. But for me, the inner critic is myself looking back in the mirror.
The things I say to myself out loud...
The explosive anger I cannot control...
The impulse to beat myself up...
The lashing out to rip and tear...
The need to belittle and shame...
Why do I do this to myself?
I am in mourning for what might have been. I know my worth... my potential. And I hate nothing more than failing to realize it.
My inner critic doesn’t hate me.
It doesn’t actually wish me harm.
It is just overcome with emotion.
Like me, it is in mourning.
Acknowledging the root of this criticism helps. My inner critic tolerates nothing less than my best, because it wants me to succeed so badly.
“There there, my friend.
We will learn from this
And rise higher together.Life is not about perfection.
It is about being our best today.
And the price is discomfort.Let us enjoy the gains.
As well as the setbacks.
For they provide the greatest lessons.”
Don’t resist your inner critic.
Acknowledge it.
Comfort it.
Integrate it.
Allow it to push you forward...
Without the abuse born of frustration.
🤔 Food for Thought:
Have you thought of the inner critic as your overly emotional cheerleader?
Can you see how it acts out in anger when your potential is not matched?
How can you reduce the abusive reaction to one that is more constructive?
⚙️ One Small Step:
Being upset with yourself is only natural. You are disappointed in not meeting what you see as your potential. Acknowledge it. This will soothe the inner critic. Then be deliberate about what can be improved in the next attempt.