From a Battleground to a Sanctuary. Mediating between Inner Critic and Creator.
They say: trust yourself, trust your gut!
But what if your gut has a tendency to contradict itself? Then what?
What if one day your ‘gut’ shows you all the possibilities, and latches onto your dream, a beautiful vision, and fills you with hope, while another day all it has to offer is fear, self-doubt and trepidation?
Which one do you trust? Which one is telling the truth?
Our heads are meant to be sanctuaries, yet they often become battlegrounds.
The Inner Creator and Inner Critic – Under One Roof.
The pursuit of ambitious goals often becomes a battleground between two powerful internal forces: the Inner Creator and the Inner Critic.
While both play crucial roles in personal growth, their opposing nature can create a paralyzing state of stuckness.
The advice to “trust yourself” becomes a cruel joke – which voice should we listen to?
The Inner Creator fuels our passions, dreams, and innovative ideas.
It pushes us to explore new possibilities and take risks.
It’s curious, enthusiastic, full of dreams and hopes.
It sees the world as a forest, and a forest is the ultimate playground. It’s like a happy kid.
An then there is the Inner Critic, who acts as a guardian, protecting us from potential failure and judgment.
It questions our abilities, highlights potential pitfalls, and urges caution.
Just like an over-protective, paranoid parent – it means well, but usually takes things too far.
It recommends you only play in your own room, with soft toys, preferably lying on the floor, so you don’t fall.
It convinces you there is some great danger waiting for you if you step outside.
For many individuals, the Inner Critic becomes hypervigilant, overwhelming the Creator’s voice with self-doubt and fear.
This imbalance leads to a cycle of starts and halts.
One day, you may feel inspired and motivated to pursue your goals, but the next day, the Critic steps in, turns the bright lights on, grabs a magnifying glass and shows you all the cracks in your pretty vision.
Before you know it, the party is over.
Doubts resurface, hope vanishes, progress stalls.
From “Either/Or” to “Both/And” Thinking
Introducing the Mediator.
To break that vicious cycle you don’t need to remove any of your inner companions; they all play an important role.
What you want to do is introduce another one: a Mediator.
It’s not easy to grow one quickly, so sometimes we need to borrow one.
In ideal world, that would be a good, mature, loving parent or another supportive figure.
If you’re around someone who is a walking anxiety and highly critical, then that’s what will likely stay with you.
If you’re around someone who believes in you and oozes quiet confidence, then that’s what you are likely to internalize.
If you had the latter, consider yourself lucky. If you didn’t – not all hope is lost.
If you don’t believe in yourself, you simply need someone who does.
It’s not about information but transformation.
The idea is not to find someone who tells you HOW TO LIVE LIFE, but someone who can help you DO THE LIVING – sometimes holding your hand, sometimes kicking your butt, and always creating a safe enough space to calm down, recoup, ground yourself, and try again.
That’s when a great partner, a therapist or a coach are worth their weight in gold.
The goal is to find someone who creates a safe space for us to explore, experiment, and even stumble, knowing there’s a hand to hold and a voice to encourage us to try again.
Going solo is often possible, but not easy.
Stop focusing on consuming information, and get yourself some companions.
Tired of the never ending battle between the opposing voices in your head?
If you’re ready to move beyond stuckness, to embrace both your Inner Creator and your Inner Critic?
Awesome.
Drop your email and be the first one to find out when the Safe Space to create, experiment, fail, stretch and grow it ready.
Let me know when the Creative Companion is ready!
Can’t wait?
I get it. Get in touch for some 1:1 mental hand-holding and jumping over the puddles.
Let’s connect and explore the possibilities together!Message BACK TO SENSES
