Lent 2022 - Week 3 Friday

Week 3 - Friday
Releasing Self-Criticism
When you make a decision and it turns out…not the way you wanted.

Self-Criticism is: I’m such an idiot!
You make it about you and your intelligence instead of the decision.

It’s amazing how often we call ourselves a moron or an idiot, even for things that are out of our control. Have you ever arrived somewhere late because there was an accident on the freeway and thought, “I KNEW I should have left earlier; I’m such an idiot!” Yes, you could have left earlier or taken a different route, but none of those decisions imply that there is something inherently wrong with your intelligence.

Silence it: Ask yourself what you would say to a friend who made the same decision or was in a similar situation.

Whatever criticism you’re inflicting on yourself, you would probably never say to a friend in the same situation. Not only are we often harder on ourselves than we are on others, but we sometimes hold ourselves to some unattainable standard…like getting everything right ALL the time or making the “perfect” decision every single time.

You’re not a robot – you’re a human! All humans make mistakes. All humans make decisions and none of us make the “right” decision 100% of the time.

You’re not an idiot and you need to stop that thought right in its tracks because it’s very harmful to your self-esteem and will ultimately impact your ability to go after what you want in life.

That thought is nothing but an obstacle!

Let me know what you think in the comments.
What things trigger that “I’m an idiot” thought in you?