099 How to handle your harshest critic—you

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If you want to put your bold idea to work, you have to face your inner critic. But that can be tough. Our inner critic is often our harshest one — and the least easy to dismiss, too. 

In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss what their inner critic looks like and some tips for keeping it from taking over. They also dive into why it’s important to listen to the inner critic at times to keep yourself at the top of your game, as well as how if you let your inner critic keep you from moving forward, you might face regrets bigger than if you had executed your project with flaws. 

Quotes:

“I had to get a healthy view of my inner critic. I had to celebrate that the critic is there to keep me to a high standard.” — Leary

“Most of the time our arenas are very private and our inner critic comes out when we don’t have someone to support us. Sometimes seeing other people in the battle helps us to stay in the battle ourselves.” — Leary

“I compare myself to other people who have done what I’m doing or could do what I’m planning to do, and everything I compare, that’s when I start to fall apart.” — Armin

“More often than not, God does use the least qualified people on the planet and He assigns them to do the works that He has called them to, because in those situations it’s really hard to look at the person and think, ‘It’s because you are so good and so wise’.” — Armin

Action Steps:

• Your inner critic can help make your work better. But it should not have the power to stop you from moving forward. Don’t let it. 
• Robert Fritz said, “To create something, you must love it enough to see it exist.” If you have a project that you can’t bring to light, maybe you don’t love it enough to see it through the critique phase. How can you love it more? Or maybe it’s a sign you need to switch to something you are more passionate about. 
• As opposed to just accepting the inner critique about your work, turn the critique into something constructive. Look for solutions, don’t just submit to the voice of the problem. 
• At all times you are submitting to something: the plan of God or the plan of the Enemy. Whose plan are you submitting to today? 
• Many miracles in the Bible require us to work toward their eventual happening. If you’re waiting for a miracle in your work, or the miracle of your inner critic disappearing, keep in mind that there might be something you need to work toward first. 
• Most people regret what they didn’t do in life. Don’t leave something undone just because your inner critic is pushing back. 

Resources mentioned:

• Reinventure Me podcast episode on shame: The one thing guaranteed to hold you back.
• Connect with Leary Gates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Connect with Armin Assadi on Twitter and Facebook.

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