What does your voice sound like?
You know – the one that whispers all your doubts quietly in your ear just when you are ready to try something new?
I have heard different names for that voice. Resistance, Mindworm, Worrywart. My favourite, and the one I use is Gremlin. Do you remember the 1980’s American comedy horror film? Somehow that fuzzy cute creature turning into a destructive nightmare really stuck with me!
My Gremlin whispers old messages to me like “What will other people think of you doing that?” Or “It’s too much a risk – stick with what you know”, or “You can’t present that, it looks too amateur – no one will think you are a professional”, etc, etc with a slightly different theme each time.
My Gremlin’s voice closely follows any new inspiration. I get a creative idea for a new resource or way of working. While I am surfing along on this wave of excitement I run smack into a solid wall of “But” or “what if”, or “who do you think you are?”
Very unhelpful, and Gremlin-like derision of my Muse.
My secret is that I have come to expect it. I name it and converse with it (in my head – don’t worry) – “Oh hello Gremlin. There you are again. Fancy seeing you. This means I must be onto something that excites me.”
Another trick I have found to help me move past my Gremlin’s voice of resistance is to write down all his resistance messages. Put them all out there. As I read through each of the messages, as if they are perverse get well cards, I can weigh up how much truth is in each. Often there is a little nugget of truth, but it is blown out of all proportion. For instance, is it realistic to expect that everyone is going to like what I do – and is that a real reason not to try? How real are these fears, and am I going to let them stand in my way? For particularly challenging ones, (if you are still following my movie analogy) I can use the finale move of putting the Gremlin in the blender 🙂
In order to grow we have to try something new and along with growth comes resistance. It is a normal part of the journey, but we need to recognise it in order to step past it.
“Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is feeling the fear, the doubt, the insecurity, and deciding that something else is more important.”
Mark Manson
If you would like to challenge your voice of resistance and come up with strategies that work for you contact me here…
