Who's In Charge?

Shh!!! I have a confession…sometimes when I am coaching a client one on one, we are not actually alone. Sounds strange I suppose but in reality we all have these internal voices that tell us things that are not true about us. Several different names have been created for this messenger of negative chatter; gremlins, the saboteur, the judge, the enemy, satan, negative ego. Call “it” whatever name fits, for if not managed their chatter keeps tripping us up in our daily lives, keeping us small, holding us back from our bigger selves. This non-loving voice doesn’t offer much discernment when our life calls for risk taking or moving out of our comfort zone. It’s job, so it thinks, is to keep us safe by wrapping us up in a cozy comforter of over cautiousness, raising self doubt, paralyzing our decision making process. Let’s see if this sounds familiar. We start climbing the mountain of fulfillment and as we are reaching and stretching for something more in our lives, almost at the top of the mountain the saboteur’s voice begins its chatter, louder and louder. “You’re not good enough, wealthy enough, attractive enough, experienced enough” or the “shoulds”, “oughts” or “musts” kick in, rules or limiting beliefs that predetermine our response, believing we don’t have a choice. I actually named my saboteur the “Life Ripper”; I think the name says it all…are you getting a visual? One way to deal with your saboteur is to actually create a visual image of “it” and then give “it” a name. This will allow for some creative visualization to deal with your saboteur when you begin to notice its unhealthy presence. You can create a picture in your mind that is quite comical, therefore minimizing the saboteur’s impact. Another diffuser is asking these simple questions, "What’s really true here?" (rather than what do you imagine) So what? (Notice your disastrous expectation) So what? (If your disastrous expectation comes true, what’s the worst that can happen?) What are my choices? (The choices are endless).
Trying on some of these techniques can help you improve your ability to respond to your life, however you choose, without the interference of the saboteur diverting you from the vibrant life you imagine.