How to Quiet That Critical Inner Voice
Dear friends,
Almost everyone has inner voices that are unhelpful. They say things that are false but that bring us down: "You are not worthy," "You are a failure," "You have no real friends," "Why do I never change?" "Why does nothing ever go right for me?" "Why do I sabotage all my relationships?" "Why am I not good enough?" The list is almost endless, so to save time I will not list them all here and now.
These voices deplete our energy and make it almost impossible to feel the Joy of Spirit. They can leave us feeling alone and isolated. In fact, the common (for many) feeling of being overwhelmed and fatigued at the end of a day is directly correlated to the frequency and power of these voices. But there is good news! As powerful as they are, they have an Achilles heel, and if you learn what it is you can actually defeat them somewhat easily.
Imagine you are home and your drunk neighbor wanders into your home and says, "Run! There is a pink elephant in your front yard and he is about to crash through your front door!" Would you run? Would you call Animal Control? Why not? Well, he's drunk and thus spouting nonsensical and untrue things.
So here's the clue for our inner voices. They are just like your drunk neighbor! Why do you believe them? A moment's reflection will tell you they are actually wrong and irrational. You are a child of Spirit, and therefore "worthy" of Divine Love. Period. No accomplishment will increase that guarantee, and no failure will diminish it. You are human and thus not perfect. If you are a perfectionist this may come as a shock to you, but you will make thousands of mistakes before you leave this world. So when one comes up, it means... nothing! Every voice is, on the deepest level, completely untrue and just being a bully.
Please, make yourself a promise right now. The next time one of those ignorant malevolent voices starts talking to you, mentally say, "Thanks for sharing. Now go sit in the corner! Feel free to babble on, but do it over there. I have simply no interest in the drivel you are spouting." It takes one second to do this. Do it again ten seconds later if need be, as soon as the next drunk neighbor wanders into your mental home. In one day you will feel very, very different. This is not nearly as hard as it sounds at first, and actually becomes quite fun in short order. Taking back control of your life and mind is quite a liberating experience.
It is very hard to eliminate these voices. But it is not so hard to ignore them and send them packing. May we each seek real Truth and avoid falling prey to negative thoughts borne of false perceptions and our self-critical and destructive egos.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West