Don’t Always Listen to Your Inner Critic

I am amazed at the beauty of creation. Of how things came into being from mere nothingness into the awesomeness of mountains and unbelievable landscapes too beautiful to describe in words. What especially astounds me is the work of making man. God took time to come up with a masterpiece of excellence, a work of art from His hands that was later named man. When I try to understand the complexity of the anatomy of this being, I am simply stunned at how all that could be built in a day. Nevertheless, one thing I have failed to understand is why God put in an inner critic.

It is only natural to have plans that you would like to see happen or business ventures that you would like to undertake. But somewhere in the middle of all the excitement and inspiration comes a voice from within that boldly confesses, “That is never going to happen, it’s never going to work, just give it up now.” The mistake most of us make is actually paying attention to that voice and letting the opportunity wash away, the inspiration walk away from the unbeliever that you have become.

A trip back in time and we run across Christopher Columbus. I would like to believe that when he sailed his boat into the deep waters of the Atlantic, there was a voice within that warned him if he dared sailed into the distance he would never be heard of again. I don’t know your feelings on the subject of being alone at sea, but the thought of some deep sea creature having me as a midmorning snack does not at all seem amusing (see how the inner critic works) Strangely enough he sailed away from the comfort of solid ground and went forth to discover the new world. He was brave enough to lose sight if the shore and the greatness that has followed him has not been understated to this very day. This goes to show how much more we can become if we shut that voice that keeps us away from greatness up.

Therefore, my dear readers this is my message for you today. Though that voice sometimes keeps us from making the biggest mistakes of our lives, 90% of the time it keeps us from achieving a goal or living a dream. It makes us believe that we are not as smart, as beautiful, or as fortunate when the truth of the matter is we are fortunate just fine and ignoring that voice would make us see that. That inner critic puts limits on you that you should not have and throws you of course from the journey that could have delivered you to pure greatness. It keeps you from exploring all horizons of opportunity that would make you live your life to the very fullest.

I cannot help but wonder what history would have been if the inner critic always had his say. Muhammad Ali would not be the greatest boxer because the voice told him that the daylights would have been knocked off of him, Abraham Lincoln would not have been the most loved American President if he thought that he was a constant loser, Obama would not have been president if he thought the seat was reserved for white folk. That voice that encourages you not to do it is that very voice that differentiates the haves from the have-nots.

The trick is in learning to silence your own critic and that in others. Just because they say its not possible or it can’t be done does not meant that it will go down in history as undoable. It only means that you are foolish enough to let others and yourself keep you from becoming your best. The only sad fact is that that voice never goes away. All you have to do is learn to silence it. Always remember that no one in this universe not even that inner critic has any power until you give it to them.