“Give space to your thoughts, clear the noise in your head, chit-chat with your inner critic, decide and move on.” ― Cristina Imre
I woke up thinking about how I almost let my inner critic stop me from growing this week. Here’s my challenge.
I love making Instagram Reels. It’s easy and fun for me to put little video clips together. What I figured out is that I could create the video clips and then add them to my YouTube channel as Shorts. It is a win-win for me and my viewers because I found another way to keep my original channel active now that I have moved my interview content to a whole new channel. This is also an opportunity to share more about who I am and what I do.
There is only one thing that presents a struggle and that is my fear of talking directly into the camera. In order to overcome this resistance, I decided to talk about the one thing I feel pretty confident about and that is habits. I started recording mini videos of my talking about how to make habits stick as I work on my challenge of talking on video.
I had one fluke video hit over 1600 views and I was feeling pretty good. The next couple of videos hit about 100 views and lately my videos are only attracting 3-6 views. I started obsessing about the view count and was ready to stop making videos. I started looking at the view count as my success indicator.
My inner critic was in full attack mode and had enough ammunition to make me want to give up. I started questioning myself and this whole idea of creating YouTube Shorts. I started thinking I wasn’t doing the “right” thing. Fortunately, I woke up this morning with a refreshed attitude and a the insight of, “stop looking at the numbers.”
After a few minutes of reflection, I realized “stop looking at the numbers” was code for stop looking for outside validation.
How many times have you stopped doing what you enjoy doing because the numbers don’t look good, especially in the beginning? Did we start out doing it for the numbers? For me the answer is no. I wanted to share information on a subject that I love talking about and I thought could be of help to someone else. I also wanted to get pass my fear of speaking directly on camera.
It is at these moments in time that the one person who pops in my head (surprisingly) is Cardi B. She went from being a stripper to becoming a rapper. I can only imagine how much negativity and limited self-talk she had to overcome. So when I think about giving up, I think about how other people had to overcome the same “stinking thinking” in order to do what they are doing today. If Cardi B can go from stripping to becoming a sought out entertainer, I can get past my fear of talking on camera!
Who inspires you and why? Keep them in mind when your inner critic starts to creep in. There are so many people, who battle their inner critic everyday and are winning, and so can we!
Here’s some additional suggestions I would like to offer up:
- Write out your “why” and keep it in view.
- Make a list of people who inspire you along with why they inspire you.
- Before making any major decisions, go for a walk or allow some time for you to think. Let you mind settle.
- Journal your thoughts and feelings. Awareness is key!
- Record your progress. Every little step forward is a win.
- Celebrate your wins.
- Find an accountability partner.
- Keep in mind that everyone has to start somewhere. It is always harder in the beginning.
- Don’t pay attention to the numbers! If the vision or the thought came to you, it belongs to you. You are the one who can bring it to life, if you choose to.
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to check out my YouTube Channels and leave a comment.
Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/inner-critic
- Coffee With T YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3wjtS11
- Confident Strides YouTube Channel (Interviews) https://bit.ly/3rYLJHR
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
We can be our own worst critics or we can be our own biggest supporter. It comes down to your self-talk. When I started writing, I would find myself saying “I don’t write like any other blogger” so for the longest time, I was afraid to share my writings. I was comparing myself to others. What I come to realize is that it’s not what others think that can make or break us but what we say about yourself to ourselves. Only you can be you!
Everyday we have to choice to focus on the positive or dwell on the negative. To everything there are two sides. The switch from negative to positive outlook is not easy but it is possible and it begins with your self-talk. Start here and fill in the blank…What’s the __ thing that can happen today? If your answered with BEST, congratulations!
Here is a sad truth, for years I would wear undergarments that were worn out and had holes. I made sure everyone in my family was taken care of but never invested the same energy into myself. I looked great on the outside but was holey and tore up underneath, until I raised my standards. Self-esteem can be the biggest deterrent to achieving success if left un-examined. Raise your standards by first paying attention to how you talk to yourself. Would you talk to a friend the same way?
Sweet N Social 