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3 Steps to Winning over Your Inner Critic when You Want to Change Habits

By: Andrea Jordan

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We all have an inner critic. It's that little voice that pops up when you least want it to remind you of your failures and your shortcomings. Perhaps it came into existence because you had critical parents or a teacher who was never pleased with what you achieved or a boss whose idea of management was to constantly illustrate the areas that you could improve on. You start to wonder if you really are like that and self doubt creeps in.. When you do not achieve the goals that you set for yourself you begin to repeat other people's criticisms.

In order to defeat your inner critic and achieve your goal to change habits you'll want to use these 3 tricks:

Step 1 - Catch it out. You need to recognise when your inner critic is up to its old tricks so that you can catch it out. You might have heard it telling you that:
"You'll never lose that much weight. You don't have the willpower to change habits."
"Who do you think you are to create a business/write a book/look great/get fit? You don't have what it takes."
"You can't run 10km. It's too far for you, you'll never make it."
"Having rest days in your running program is simply lazy. You're too lazy to complete what you started."

Once you have recognised that these comments aren't reality and are in reality your inner critic's voice then you'll be able to take control and realise you have a choice as to whether you continue to listen to it or not.

Step 2 - Make your choice. You choose what to focus on in your life. If all you concentrate on are the negative parts of your life that your inner critic keeps reminding you about then it may be difficult for you to see what you have achieved. I do know from past experience that this is an uphill battle to begin with and I recommend that you begin with reminders of the small tasks you have achieved. This is helpful in changing your mindset and finding the strength to focus on your goals and the steps you've already taken to attain them.

Step 3 - Change your inner critic's role. Once you have made your choice you must deal directly with your inner critic. There is no one right way to finally defeat over your critic, whichever way works in your case is the best one. I've found that simply recognising and laughing at how foolish my inner critic is being is usually a great solution for me. I point out every one of the achievements that I've created through my working hard and how foolish its criticisms are. If you do not take its voice too seriously then its ability to damage you will be limited.

You may find that getting angry with your inner critic works for you, "how can it not see the many brilliant achievements that you have completed so far?". Perhaps a more gentle approach may work for you too. Explain to your inner critic that its original role of protecting you from harm was a helpful one however it is no longer useful and now you need a powerful supporter who's there to help you achieve the goals you have chosen to change habits.

The role of your inner critic could be changed to that of a supporter. That inner voice can instead be a useful one that reminds you to look after yourself if you are pushing yourself too far or too quickly. Remember it is always up to you how much weight you give to that voice.

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Andrea Jordan is the Author of "Habit Breaking Facts: How to Change Your Bad Habits, Forever!" (now available electronically). Andrea is also a Corporate Lawyer and a Coach. If you would like to learn more of her coaching tips about making lasting changes to your bad habits and creating a healthier lifestyle then visit www.habitbreakingfacts.net for more information and a FREE chapter of her book. (C) 2010 Andrea Jordan. All rights reserved

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