That Darn Gremlin Message… Tell “IT” To Sit Down.
I was recently talking with my hubby and not about the kid's weekly schedules- can you believe it? and he was telling me about feeling super stressed in a work situation. He thought he wasn’t keeping up at work and he was stressing about some major deliverables looming. As a Leadership and Life Coach, I read between the lines and heard that he was describing his inner critic, otherwise known as his Gremlin message.
Like many of us (myself too!), he was feeling stuck with the core thought that his job performance wasn’t enough and he was beginning the cycle of negative self-talk. It’s completely normal and we ALL have these thoughts from time to time. But, do you listen to that Gremlin message or do you change the narrative and tell that Gremlin to sit down?
Now listen… my husband’s a bad$#s, a hard worker, and strives every day to be a leader for family, his corporate life and for himself. I was not going to let his pesky Gremlin message get him all worked up. So… I asked him, “What’s another way to think about this situation?” Here are two amazing new viewpoints that he came up with to put a seat belt on his inner critic. I hope they resonate with you too:
“I’m role-modeling vulnerability. It’s a hot topic at my company right now. I don’t like asking for help, but I did. I’m opening myself up to judgment because of it, but it’s ok.”
“I’m really busy and I’m pulling in other team members so that we can work together on this event. Other people know how much my team is doing, so it’s not uncommon to pull in other people to help on a project.”
Side note: At this point in the conversation, I’m doing an internal happy dance, but playing it totally cool on the outside. He’s my husband, NOT a client and typically does not want to be coached by me.
Ok, back to the story… This is just a piece of the conversation, but it was a pivotal moment where he could see other points of view, other than he wasn’t good enough. By talking about other perspectives of his work situation, he now could see new possibilities and opportunities that had nothing to do with his ability to do the job. So instead of feeling stressed, ask yourself “What’s another perspective on your situation?” or even better, “What’s a more empowering viewpoint?”
If it’s hard for you to see another viewpoint or to create a more empowering message, let’s connect! Click below to schedule a complimentary mini session with me or to learn more.
Xo,
Tracy