Would You Talk to Your Best Friend Like That? How to Quiet Your Inner Critic

We all have an endless stream of negative self-talk running through our minds, courtesy of our "inner critic." This harsh internal voice says demoralizing things like "You're too fat, ugly, stupid and unworthy of love." While we may rationalize using this cruel self-talk as a way to motivate ourselves, it actually has the opposite effect - keeping us stuck in a cycle of low self-esteem and self-sabotage.

The big question posed in this video is: Would you ever speak to your best friend the way your inner critic speaks to you? Most likely not. With our loved ones, we aim to be supportive, encouraging, and coming from a place of compassion rather than judgment and criticism.

Yet, we treat ourselves in an unloving way that we would never treat our friends. This persistent inner critic fosters a negative self-image that we ultimately act in accordance with. If we believe the lies that we're "lazy" and "pathetic," we won't magically transform into being "ambitious" and "confident."

The third key step to mastering motivation is to turn down the volume knob of your inner critic. Start by noticing when you're being unkind to yourself through negative self-talk. Pause and ask yourself "Why do I think this about myself?" Then move on without getting sucked into that particular self-criticism.

The next step will provide more tactics for facing your inner critic head-on.