Identifying Your Inner Critic

Every time you dont follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss off energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness. Shakti GawainYouve heard that voice before, the one that shows up uninvited and lets you know just how inadequate you are. (Did you really think that idea was any good? How could you have been so stupid? You call that art? Looks like kindergarten work to me.) And I sound polite compared with the mind lashing some of you give yourselves. The inner critic is alive and well, always close by to help keep you from moving forward.Yet in some cases, despite or maybe even because of our critic, we do move forward, overcoming great obstacles to accomplish something significant in our lives. Some people give their inner critic a special name for immediate recognition. My good friend Patty, an actress and businesswoman, calls hers Jezebel (or Jezzy, for short). Jezzy will show up to sabotage a performance, a business deal, or any attempt to have a loving relationship. Ive known Jezzy for many years and even ask what she has been up to lately.The inner critic may have grown up with you, wearing the face of your mother or father. One artist I know told me that no matter what she did, it was never good enough. In her family, the competition was so fierce for her parents attention that the praise went to the one who showed the greatest promise to be a doctor. Creative talent was deemed insufficient for making a living as an adult. Its no wonder her inner critic is forever telling her that shes not good enough to make a living with her artistic talent.Our souls purpose is to evolve toward our highest spiritual consciousness. No small order when getting yourself out of bed some mornings can be a major event in your day. Too often we settle for mediocrity because that is what is being fed to us through the media and from our inner critic. You always get what you settle for in life and there is no place better than the yoga mat and meditation cushion to observe how your mind and emotions e! xpand or restrict your actions.The challenge is to let go of judging yourself. In meditation or when holding a difficult yoga posture the judgmental remarks you make about your body or about the person on the mat next to you are easier to hear if you are paying attention to the moment rather than day dreaming. At that moment you can say to yourself, Judging, and most of the time the thought dissolves instantly; other times you might have to say it a few more times before the critic is quiet. My meditation sessions made me aware of how judgmental I can be. I was so taken aback at first that I started to laugh. It was as if I was watching some caricature of myself doing a stand-up comedy routine.The judgments that you make about yourself have nothing to do with the truth. Those judgments come from your inner critic and are there to block you from reaching your goals. The beauty of life is that its a treasure hunt, and finding your true self is the grand prize. To find yourself, you must learn to be awake to each moment. When you sit in meditation with your mind centered and your gaze within, there is no space for judgments and criticism. When you are mindful, there is no room for anything else but your total awareness of the moment. And in that moment you are perfect.Related:
9 Ways to Develop True Self-Esteem
Be Honest About Your Dreams
Giving Up Negativity
Success, Failure and the Imposter Syndrome

Delia Quigley is the Director of StillPoint Schoolhouse, where she teaches a holistic lifestyle based on her 28 years of study, experience and practice. She is the creator of the Body Rejuvenation Cleanse, Cooking the Basics, and Broken Bodies Yoga. Delia's credentials include author, holistic health counselor, natural foods chef, yoga instructor, energy therapist and public speaker. Follow Delia's blogs: brcleanse.blogspot.com and brokenbodiesyoga.wordpress.com. To view her website go to www.deliaquigley.com