What if you are not too much of anything?

One of the core concepts that we talk about in our programs is imposter syndrome.
 
Also known as...
The inner critic
The saboteur
The shitty committee

Without skipping a beat, one conversation or another in our programs leads us there.

Why?

First, that voice is pervasive, smart, and ever changing.
 
Second, when we stretch into new territory, it rears its ugly head. It's designed to do that.
 
Which makes our programs a playground for the inner critic.
 
Our goal with every program is to stretch you into new ways of thinking, being, and doing. We view this as supporting you in bringing more of you forward, not less, in your leadership.
 
This means that we don't get very far without the predictable greeting of the inner critic.
 
But they can be hard to detect.
 
These voices are so sly and believable that they are hard to see for what they are: Unnecessary brakes thrown onto your path of being a fully expressed leader.
 
One part of our job as program facilitators is to help you see those brakes. And learn to bypass them so you can keep your momentum going
 
One woman came into last week’s call feeling like she accomplished little of what she set out to do. Fresh off a "week from hell", she was "too tired" and "too overwhelmed. 

It sounds so TRUE, right?
But there is an inner critic hidden in there.
 
That tiny little TOO appended to the beginning feels so innocent, but it is bull shit.
 
Behind that TOO lies a should. You are TOO tired because there is an appropriate level of tired you should be and you are over that threshold. When you insert the TOO, you are comparing yourself to some hidden standard. A standard likely invented by you without your conscious awareness of doing so.
 
So what can you do?
 
It is simple, but hard. Remove the TOO.
 
I am TOO tired becomes I am tired.
I am TOO overwhelmed becomes I am overwhelmed.
 
Feel the difference?
 
When you dare to remove the TOO, the energy behind your entire experience shifts. It becomes an acknowledgement of what is rather than a focus on what should be.

Call for reflection:
What’s a “too” you’ll commit to dropping this week?  

Here’s a handy little list of greatest hits from the Inner Critic to give you some ideas: 

Too emotional
Too disorganized
Too burned out
Too angry
Too confused
Too indecisive
Too firm
Too soft
Too scared

Shine On, 
Alicia