Transcript
The Outer Critics
In previous episodes I’ve talked about your Inner Cheerleader and your Inner Critic. In today’s episode I want to address another type of Ego your Authentic Self has to do battle with and this is The Outer Critics.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had something said to you which caused you to doubt yourself?
Doubt whether you were good enough?
Clever enough?
Worthy enough.
How about a time when you knew you were absolutely right about something, but someone else convinced you that they’re right, you’re wrong.
If you have, what you have experienced in an Outer Critic.
The Inner Critic is your Ego Self, the Outer Critic is the projection of the Ego Self of others onto your Authentic Self.
Outer critics have a negative influence over your thoughts and beliefs.
They can influence how you feel, the actions that you take, and cause you to doubt your self-worth.
Unfortunately, you can’t get away from outer critics as they can pop up anywhere, at any time and be anyone.
The Outer Critic could present themselves in a parent, sibling or significant other. They could be your boss, or work colleagues.
Outer Critics only have two real purposes in life.
The first, is to serve their Ego Selves by projecting their beliefs, ideas and need for ‘more’ onto you.
You see they have a need to feel more superior, worthy, intelligent, attractive, in control, and in charge.
Instead of drawing on and utilising the power of their own Authentic Selves, their need is to try to steal yours.
Their second purpose is to project onto and feed into your Inner Critic.
The outer critic does a very good job in not only building your Inner Critic up, but also to provide your inner critic with some valuable muscle power too.
There is a very subtle difference between both the critics.
As discussed in previously, your Inner Critic believes that it is working in your best interest.
Its job is to keep you safe and out of harm’s way.
While the inner critic has your best interests at heart the outer critic most certainly does not.
Sometimes they will know exactly what they’re doing and how they are manipulating things to their full advantage.
However, sometimes this can be a very unconscious thing, and the person may not even be aware of what they are doing or why.
Unfortunately for you, whether this is a conscious, or unconscious act, the effect for you still remains the same.
Once the outer critic has given your Inner Critic an idea that it can really sink its teeth into, unless it is nipped in the bud fairly quickly, over time, this way of thinking will grow with such intensity that eventually, it will become ingrained and morph into what you now believe is ‘just how you are’, or is just something that is true for you.
You’ll forget where it all started from.
So much so that every time you experience something that is aligned with your inner critics new way of thinking, i.e more input from an outer critic, that particular belief in yourself only gets reinforced.
The inner critic gains more power, and more justification as to why you have that belief in the first place.
So how can we overcome these outer critics, and stop them from having any influence over us?
Here are five steps that, if practiced, will help you to overcome any outer critic.
Step One – Strengthen Your Authentic Self
The more strength you can give to your Authentic Self, the easier it will be for you to trust that your thoughts, feelings and actions are coming from your Inner Cheerleader, and not either of the critics.
Step Two – Be Present in the Moment
Ask yourself, what are your thoughts / feelings / habits / actions and beliefs right now?
By being present with yourself, you can begin the process of being conscious of the thoughts / feelings / habits / actions and beliefs.
Step Three – Question Everything
Where are these thoughts / feelings / beliefs / habits and actions originating from?
Do they come from your Authentic Self or your Ego Self?
Do they help or hinder you from moving forward?
Is this something that has come from your Authentic Self or has an Outer Critic just fuelled your Inner Critics fire and given it intentional or unintentional power?
Step Four – Opposites Attract
If you recognise that the thought / feeling / action / habit or belief has come from an Outer Critic, or is enabling your Inner Critic to hold you back on staying connected with your Authentic Self, Maintaining your High Vibrational Frequency and living your Extraordinary Life, then you need to play the game of opposites.
Whatever the critics are saying to you, switch it up, and tell yourself a different story, one that is much more empowering to you.
Do you believe that you are too old or too young?
Then tell yourself that you are exactly the right age you need to be!
You’re not smart enough? Sure you are!
You have all the smarts you need to do it!
You don’t know how? Yes you do!!
You know enough to get started and you have all the resources you need to learn and gain any additional knowledge needed to move forward
You can’t? Yes you absolutely can!!!!!!!
Step Five – Practice Pressing Mute
You can press the mute button on both your Inner Critic and the Outer Critic.
I’ll show you how to do this in the next episode, however, the basic principle goes a little like this.
When faced with a disempowering situation, whether you recognise this as your Inner Critics voice, or an Outer Critics voice, mentally acknowledge it, thank it for its input, say goodbye and then visualise yourself holding a remote control and pressing the mute button on that all that noise.