Speak Softly to Yourself

So you're driving home from the grocery store, and half-way home you remember that you didn't pick up the toilet paper. Does your inner dialogue sound something like this..."Damnit, I am so stupid, now I have to go all the way back to the store"! You may need to sit down and have a calm talk with your inner critic. That talk may sound something like this..."Well, we needed the toilet paper but no one is going to die, I can pick some up tomorrow since I'm feeling pretty exhausted; and its a good thing we have paper towels at home".

I think its good to take inventory of our inner dialogue on occasion. Usually these conversations in our head go on un-observed. If you will bring yourself into focus and observe what is going on inside of you, then you can catch things before they escalate into an inner emotional cat fight. How we speak to ourselves on the inside really does matter.

I used to inwardly criticize my clothing and shoes compared to other women at the office. I was raising 3 children by myself, and money was pretty tight. When I would go shopping for shoes I would want the expensive designer shoes, but I could not afford them. So unwittingly, this critic was putting me down for not having the shoes the "Jones's" had. Because I had this issue going on unconsciously, I was drawing other critic's to myself as well. There was a woman who worked with me that always looked at me from the "shoes" up. One day I realized, she was showing me what I do to myself. The moment I got this, she stopped doing it. I believe people will mirror to us the things that we do to ourselves (or others) unknowingly.

The picture attached to this article is a bird's wing and tail as it flew low over the snow of the Western Plains looking for food. The bird is gone now, but its wing and tail feathers gently brushed against the snow leaving a beautiful imprint. What kind of imprint does your inner voice leave upon you? Go gently with yourself.