When the Voice Gets Louder, You’re on the Right Track.

Have you ever noticed that when you make the decision to start or actually do something new, especially if it involves a significant shift from your previous way doing things, there is an increase in the “chatter” in your head? Your inner voice may say: “You can’t do that”, “What will people think?”, “Nobody else does it like that”, “You’re stupid to think like that” ….and dozens of similar statements. My suggestion is that the louder the voice, the more likely it is that you’re on the right track.

The voice in your head: the critic, the guardian – is the voice of your thinking mind.

The voice in your head: the critic, the guardian – is the voice of your thinking mind. Its talk is derived from the past which it thinks will help you interpret the present and predict the future. Its role is to keep you safe – it’s about survival. It’s the guardian at the gate. It holds you safe as it holds you back.

The information from your inner voice comes directly from past experiences and from what you have learned from those with whom you grew up. The voice may even speak from memories of events in the lives of previous generations. Recent research in the field of epigenetics (the study of how stress, diet, behaviour, toxins, and other factors regulate gene expression), has shown that severe trauma in one generation can be passed on to future generations.

Your voice can appear very rational, logical and sensible; and while it has aspects of these qualities, careful observation will show that it is driven by emotions, mainly those that are immature or irrational, such as fears that come from childhood. This information is from the past and is out of date because it is based on the limited thinking of the child you once were. “The Work”, a process developed by Byron Katie, (see my previous blog) is a simple way to observe the voice in action.

The part of you that your voice calls silly, irrational, crazy, dangerous, etc. is actually your intuitional, creative, authentic self.

But who is this inner voice talking to?  What is the purpose of all this chatter? The part of you that your voice calls silly, irrational, crazy, dangerous, etc. is actually your intuitional, creative, authentic self. Notice that when something arises from this deeper aspect of you, it is not expressed in words but more in feelings and “knowing”.  Intuition, when it is noticed by the inner voice, (the “guardian at the gate,”) sets off the chatter referred to earlier. Paradoxically, the greater your intuitive desire to change, the more shrill your inner critic becomes. The louder the inner voice, the more likely you are to be on the right track!

The challenge therefore is to accept your inner voice for what it does best (because it’s a futile waste of effort to try to get rid of it) and proceed, albeit with caution and care. Acknowledging your inner critic for what it is and does, allows you to move forward to a fuller life.

By helping you to notice what is going on within you, and by helping you to identify the positive aspects of having an inner critic, Network Care can set you on the path of discovering your true and authentic self.