Message 51 of 177

The Inner Critic

A couple of quotes that came in my email today about the Inner Critic

“We tell ourselves so many lies and half-truths ... We listen and are duly impressed by these inner voices that turn into unseen judges that nag at us. We give each of these judges a seat of honor in our minds, all the while hating their guts and their never-ending supply of judgements ... We give the judges permission to accompany us on each journey of life, never daring to realize that we can park them, at least momentarily.”
-- Eloise Ristad

“The Inner Critic makes each of us a child. As we become the child in our relationships, we lose our sense of self. We are no longer self-contained, self-respecting adults. We look to others for validation. Our self-worth is based upon their opinion of us. Thus, everyone around us becomes a mother or a father whose support and approval is desperately needed to protect us from the constant criticism of the Inner Critic.”
-- Hal and Sidra Stone
BarbInBend's profile
Replies 11 - 13 of 13
I've read "Eat, Pray, Love," Barb and loved it! Thanks for the video of Elizabeth Gilbert.
Seadreamer54's profile

about 1 month ago
I really appreciate this post and the comments. I never understood - still maybe don't - how hard I was on myself in creating things. I have lightened up - The Artist's Way helped me. I try to let embryo ideas grow and develop. I try not to squash them because they don't emerge fully mature. Another thing I learned was not to compare my early attempts at something to work that has made it into a book or magazine.

I need to give my inner critic some crayons and paper dolls to occupy herself with. I have things to create.
crs127's profile

about 1 month ago
So true, crs! Everyone has an 'inner child' who would love nothing more than to sit down with some crayons or scissors and paste and create something, anything, just to express. I like Julia Cameron a lot. I had 'The Artist's Way on my shelf for YEARS before I cracked it open and read it, and started to write every morning. Last year, I wanted to read 'Vein of Gold' and started a group online to go through it with me. It helped me get through some of it ... Vein of Gold is involves much more personal introspection, you make a timeline of your life among other things, and that can sometimes be a hard thing to do when some of the events of your life have been buried in order to cope. I'm really grateful to have achieved what I did, and like 'The Artist's Way' ... it's a book that you can go back to and do all over again any time.
BarbInBend's profile

about 1 month ago
Replies 11 - 13 of 13