Can you hear it? That little voice chattering away in your head? It helps you think about things and can be very useful for getting stuff done.
But what does that voice sound like? Does it sound happy or sad? Does it seem to like you or loathe you? Is it mostly positive or punishing? Stop and listen.
If that voice is telling you this exercise is completely stupid, then you've most likely got a negative Nelly narrating large chunks of your life.
If it says "hey, why not...
", your inner voice is being supportive and positive.
Good for you! 1.
You've Got To Name It To Tame It Identifying whether your inner voice is positive or punishing helps to set the stage for taming it.
Now let's take the first step and give it a name.
(Don't worry, you can change it later.
) You may even need a couple of names if you hear multiple characters doing voice overs in your head.
I'll go first.
For years I had a very punitive, schoolmarm-ish voice constantly commenting on my every move.
I'll name her Mrs.
Dixon.
She was brilliant at telling me all of the things I was doing wrong.
I couldn't seem to catch a break with her relentless reprimands.
Comments such as "that's stupid," "why are you doing it that way?" and "what's wrong with you?" were common.
She seemed to always be on loudspeaker and I didn't know how to turn down the volume.
She was so loud it was impossible to allow positive messages in.
2.
Shrink The Role If your version of Mrs.
Dixon is larger than life, it may be time to shrink her (or him) down to size.
Take a moment and visualize her standing or sitting next to you.
Now imagine her as tiny as a paperclip with an itty-bitty squeaky voice.
Now make her large again while still having that tiny squeaky voice.
Watch her struggle to talk.
By now she should be sounding like one of the chipmunks from that crazy Christmas song.
She doesn't have the same power anymore, does she? Take a moment and really soak in that scene.
The voice that has had so much control over how you feel about yourself has now been reduced to a virtual cartoon character.
Now go even further.
Shrink her down even tinier than before-smaller than a speck of dust.
This is how you turn down the volume on that rogue little voice in your head so you can turn up the volume on a positive and supportive voice.
3.
Switch The Lead After you become good at identifying and scaling your inner voice, try switching the lead.
Cast a new character.
Have fun with it.
You get to choose.
Who would you want that voice to be? It can be a real person like a mentor, a fictional character or someone you create from scratch.
In my case, Mrs.
Dixon was completely rewritten.
She sounds different and she even looks different.
She is much softer and feels more like someone I would look up to.
She can still be a task master, but she has learned to be much more positive and supportive because she knows if she gets out of control, she's dust.
(Muhahahaaaa) Did You Know That Everyone Is A Mind Reader? Well, not literally.
However, what you think about yourself sets the standard for what others will think about you.
That's why it's so important to make a conscious choice about who is narrating your thoughts.
If that inner voice isn't treating you well, chances are the people around won't be treating you well either.
Recasting the narrator in your mind doesn't happen overnight, but knowing what to do when that little voice gets out of control will eventually get you to a healthier inner dialogue.
"Most of us are totally unaware that our inner conversations are the causes of the circumstances of our life" - Neville Goddard Just Remember These 3 Things:
Be selective in what you choose to think about because what you think about really does matter.
Especially what you think about yourself.
But what does that voice sound like? Does it sound happy or sad? Does it seem to like you or loathe you? Is it mostly positive or punishing? Stop and listen.
If that voice is telling you this exercise is completely stupid, then you've most likely got a negative Nelly narrating large chunks of your life.
If it says "hey, why not...
", your inner voice is being supportive and positive.
Good for you! 1.
You've Got To Name It To Tame It Identifying whether your inner voice is positive or punishing helps to set the stage for taming it.
Now let's take the first step and give it a name.
(Don't worry, you can change it later.
) You may even need a couple of names if you hear multiple characters doing voice overs in your head.
I'll go first.
For years I had a very punitive, schoolmarm-ish voice constantly commenting on my every move.
I'll name her Mrs.
Dixon.
She was brilliant at telling me all of the things I was doing wrong.
I couldn't seem to catch a break with her relentless reprimands.
Comments such as "that's stupid," "why are you doing it that way?" and "what's wrong with you?" were common.
She seemed to always be on loudspeaker and I didn't know how to turn down the volume.
She was so loud it was impossible to allow positive messages in.
2.
Shrink The Role If your version of Mrs.
Dixon is larger than life, it may be time to shrink her (or him) down to size.
Take a moment and visualize her standing or sitting next to you.
Now imagine her as tiny as a paperclip with an itty-bitty squeaky voice.
Now make her large again while still having that tiny squeaky voice.
Watch her struggle to talk.
By now she should be sounding like one of the chipmunks from that crazy Christmas song.
She doesn't have the same power anymore, does she? Take a moment and really soak in that scene.
The voice that has had so much control over how you feel about yourself has now been reduced to a virtual cartoon character.
Now go even further.
Shrink her down even tinier than before-smaller than a speck of dust.
This is how you turn down the volume on that rogue little voice in your head so you can turn up the volume on a positive and supportive voice.
3.
Switch The Lead After you become good at identifying and scaling your inner voice, try switching the lead.
Cast a new character.
Have fun with it.
You get to choose.
Who would you want that voice to be? It can be a real person like a mentor, a fictional character or someone you create from scratch.
In my case, Mrs.
Dixon was completely rewritten.
She sounds different and she even looks different.
She is much softer and feels more like someone I would look up to.
She can still be a task master, but she has learned to be much more positive and supportive because she knows if she gets out of control, she's dust.
(Muhahahaaaa) Did You Know That Everyone Is A Mind Reader? Well, not literally.
However, what you think about yourself sets the standard for what others will think about you.
That's why it's so important to make a conscious choice about who is narrating your thoughts.
If that inner voice isn't treating you well, chances are the people around won't be treating you well either.
Recasting the narrator in your mind doesn't happen overnight, but knowing what to do when that little voice gets out of control will eventually get you to a healthier inner dialogue.
"Most of us are totally unaware that our inner conversations are the causes of the circumstances of our life" - Neville Goddard Just Remember These 3 Things:
- Name it to tame it
- Shrink the role
- Switch the lead
Be selective in what you choose to think about because what you think about really does matter.
Especially what you think about yourself.