Think of a time when your inner voice was very critical of you for something.
- Not knowing what you want
- Not being able to make a decision
- You Ignore taking action that you know will help you reach your goals.
- You feel paralyzed by fear and can’t take action.
Meet your inner critic. The Inner Critic is a powerful force within that tries to keep you from changing, even if you want to. Change brings uncertainty, and with uncertainty comes fear. The Inner Critic uses fear as fuel to keep you feeling small, overwhelmed, and confused.
Who is the Inner Critic?
The Inner Critic is an archetype, or inner character, one of many, that influences your behavior.
Archetypes are invisible guides on your journey, and each one brings you gifts, lessons, and challenges. You experience archetypes as tendencies to do and think things in a certain way.
Archetypes are universal patterns that every culture knows. Some examples are the mother, father, rebel, child, hero, victim, warrior, artist, seeker, teacher, explorer, detective, and healer.
When I say, “he is a good father,” you get a picture in your mind of what a good father looks like, and you know what characteristics and behaviors he would possess.
The Inner Critic is an archetype that is part of everyone’s cast of characters.
You might recognize your inner critic as the part of you afraid to pursue what you want. You might fear the changes success would bring. The Inner Critic strives for “perfection.”
You know when you keep fine-tuning something to perfection before you can say it is finished. The Inner Critic creates feelings of doubt, which leads to procrastinating and taking the action that will bring success.
Why Is the Inner Critic Important?
When you are aware of your inner critic as one of your cast of characters, you know yourself better, you can recognize when your thoughts come from the inner critic, and you can choose who is in charge.
The Purpose of the Inner Critic
The Inner Critic gives you the gift of seeing the many ways you undermine or betray yourself. Examples are saying you don’t know, procrastination, doubt, and perfectionism.
The Inner Critic comes in at times of low self-confidence, influencing decision-making. Low self-confidence leads to choices that limit or block your empowerment and success.
When you acknowledge the inner critic as a character within you with a voice and an opinion, you will find it calls your attention to situations where you might be in danger of being criticized or criticizing yourself.
When I became aware of my inner critic, the first step I took was to realize that her purpose was to keep me safe.
Then, I planned to let the inner critic warn me and let me be in charge of my thinking and actions. I like to think of it this way: I am a coach, and the inner critic is one of the players on my team.
As the coach, I decide when to listen to and when to put players into the game. I listen to the inner critic, and as the coach, I make the final decision about how long I listen and what actions I take. It is always a choice.
Feng Shui and the Inner Critic
Want to know how you can boost your self-confidence and give the Inner Critic a voice in your life? Let’s go to your bedroom and do a quick Feng Shui evaluation of your self-confidence/inner magnificence area.
As you stand at the door of your bedroom, look into the room. The area in the bottom left corner represents your inner magnificence and self-confidence.
What is there? Beauty, clutter, broken stuff, or nothing at all? Is it clean and dust-free? Whatever is there tells a story about you and your self-confidence.
Want a boost in self-confidence so you can be the coach of your team? Here are some Feng Shui actions you can take:
- Add beauty to the area. Put a picture on the wall that makes you happy. Plant fresh flower(s) in that area or add an item symbolizing confidence.
- Clear any clutter in that space. Maybe books, clothes, or old files need to be discarded.
- Remove broken items; they symbolize that your self-confidence is broken.
When you learn to listen to the warnings of your inner critic from a place of self-confidence and implement Feng Shui adjustments, you can save yourself the grief of making the same mistakes over and over again. Be the coach; it is always your choice.
Leave a comment about your Inner Critic or how you enhanced the self-confidence area of your bedroom.
Nancy Dadami is an Intentional Creativity Guide, Feng Shui Specialist, and cheerleader for your dreams. Her passion is to empower seekers, conscious creators, healers, and entrepreneurs called to expansion, education, and freedom. This results in living the best version of themselves, creating a life of abundance, self-awareness, purpose, and inner peace. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest information and inspiration. https://nancydadami.com/