Self Critic

I work with a lot of self-critics: People who are never satisfied with their actions and often lack personal grace. Many of these self-critics are super successful based on most societal measures. However, you’d be shocked to know how many people who seem like they have it all confide in me that their inner-critic is louder than a toddler on an airplane.   

Does the self-critic serve them? Sometimes it absolutely does. For many, it forces them to prepare. It can drive them to keep striving to get better. It can humble them from falling into the hubris trap. Yet, over-dosing on criticism can be extremely detrimental. With my clients, we often talk about treating oneself with grace. Grace is courteous goodwill. It’s a beautiful word that shouldn’t be reserved for others. Grace needs to be self-leveraged too.

What does grace look like for you? When do you need to tap into it? How can it help you?

The inner critic isn’t all bad. In fact, it can often be helpful. But, we must acknowledge when to give it our full-attention and when to let it pass by.