Are you playing it safe or just stuck? Time to check your inner critic.
“I’m my own worst critic,” said in a humorous, self-deprecating tone - maybe with an eye roll.
👆 Yep, that's been me many times. You too?
You’re in good company. I’ve worked with clients from a variety of different backgrounds, experiences, and confidence levels—and this is the single most common thread.
I always ask my clients, “What kinds of things does your inner critic say to you?”
Tears often follow.
It’s hard to admit just how critical we can be of ourselves. What makes it even harder is that sometimes we believe what our inner critic tells us—even when we logically know it isn’t true. The problem is that even a tiny nugget of belief in those self-critical messages can get in our way. Big time.
We get stuck in a loop of self-doubt, second-guessing, and feeling not good enough. This doesn’t motivate us. In fact, the opposite happens: we give up, believing it’s impossible to measure up, so why try?
Any of this sound familiar?
Understanding the concept of the inner critic, and how to quiet its voice, can be one of the most powerful tools for leading from your values and experience.
Where does the inner critic even come from? It’s actually a safety mechanism - kind of like a seatbelt. When we get into a car, we learned from a young age to buckle up to keep ourselves safe. As adults, we do it automatically, without thinking. But a seatbelt isn’t useful outside of a moving vehicle—and if we don’t know when or how to take it off, it just holds us in place.
In the same way, we learned to protect ourselves from emotional harm by deploying our inner critic. But most of us never learned when - or how - to un-deploy it once it’s no longer needed.
To step into leadership, we need to be able to un-deploy the inner critic. Otherwise, we stay stuck in self-doubt and can’t move forward.
I work with my clients on finding relief from that inner critic voice that keeps them feeling negative, isolated, and unmotivated. Together, we explore what helps them turn the volume down so they can feel less anxious and find some mental peace. In that quieter space, they can make decisions and take action based on what truly matters to them - instead of acting from fear.
With the tools to quiet your inner critic, you can lead authentically, with greater confidence - and not let self-doubt get in your way.
What could you do if your inner critic finally took a day off?
☕️ Let’s help your inner critic take a coffee break - so you can get back to leading.
Click the button & book a free strategy session: