I started writing a post about organization. And in it I talked about how in my ideal life everything flowed beautifully and life was magical. And then I started talking about my actual life and how things truly weren’t running as seamlessly as I would like them to. I talked about the endless list of to-dos and the piles upon piles of folders and projects and orders and call backs and write tos that needed to be finished.
And the more I wrote about how different my ideal life was from my actual life, the worse about myself I started to feel. Without even realizing it, my inner critic had stepped in and was writing this post. I had unconsciously allowed this part of me to run the show. This is the part of me that feels that no matter how much I do there will always be more to do, more to be, more to strive for, more to accomplish, more to achieve. This part of me is never content with who I am right now in this moment. It will always find fault. This part of me has spent years in the driver’s seat, and while my higher self has been taking the reins much more lately, I still need to be aware and conscious of who is calling the shots.
Last night I received an email from a beautiful friend who is doing so much to spread her message of love into the world. She is taking action in ways that I can only dream of at the moment – ways that scare me and would push me far out of my comfort zone. I am so proud of her and told her this last night. And I was surprised that her inner critic was surfacing as well – she felt that she needed to work on certain things to improve conveying her message.
And then it hit me. Between my post about needing to be more organized and her email about needing to improve, I realized that our inner critics were still running the show (at least some of the time).
And for this reason, let’s all stop what we are doing, and write a love note to ourselves.
This is an emergency – our self worth is in turmoil and needs to be loved, comforted, and nurtured. So take out a pen and paper (or type on the computer), and start writing.
If you aren’t sure what to say or where to start, it could go something like this:
Dear Self,
I love you. You could honestly do anything (or not do anything), and I would still love you. I am so proud of you. I admire you, look up to you, and am inspired by you. I look at you and am amazed at who you are, who you have become, who you will become, and who you always will be. I love how much you are learning and growing and expanding. I love that you are consciously filling your world with love. I am so proud of you for facing your fears and continually pushing through them. I am so happy that you are such a wonderful person with such a pure soul. You are amazing, and I love you so much!
Love,
Me
Please take some time today to write your own love note. Let’s push our inner critics out of the way and let our loving, higher selves take the reins. We are far too beautiful and far too amazing to be squashed by our egos. We are each so special and wonderful, and it’s time that we really truly believed it once and for all – all of the time – in every single moment.
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So glad you’re here! 🙂
Wow! That is incredible and so very powerful! A love note to yourself! I think a lot of us would benefit from that! Great post! Thank you! ~Hugs, M
Thanks so much! I hope you write one to yourself – it’s such a powerful exercise! Hugs back! 🙂
This is a great idea and I will put it in my drafts folder so that I remember to do it. Of course, I’ll link to you when I do it. Thank you for the inspiration.
I think I am going to write a letter to my inner critic too. I might start with that one first.
Oh yay! I can’t wait to read both of your letters. Great idea to write to your inner critic first. You may like this post that I wrote about fear – especially the little letter to fear:
https://www.jodichapman.com/2011/05/31/hearing-fear-out-2/
What a refreshing, lovely and well written post. So glad I found you from the Etsy Blog Team! I have a name for my inner critic. I call it “Crusher” because it always attempts to crush my spirits, my dreams and me self esteem. Like you, I’ve since realized that although my inner critic may try to bring me down, it really doesn’t have the evidence to back up it’s claims when I look below the surface. Love the letter!
Thanks so much, Christine! I’m so glad you stopped by! I love that you have given your inner critic a name – and I especially love the name! I’m glad you’re staying conscious and recognizing when it shows up in your life and moving forward without letting it stay in the driver’s seat! Yay! 🙂
I love this. We should require ourselves to do it on a regular basis.
Thanks, Missy! I definitely felt better after writing it. Whew! 🙂
What a lovely letter to self. Reminds how we all should think and care about ourselves more… Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome, Ann! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words! 🙂
Great post. I befriended my inner critic years ago because in amongst the needling and poking there is sometimes a useful message, but I agree we can all benefit from a little self love too.
Hi Fi,
So glad you stopped by! Our inner critic is definitely there for a reason, and I love that you befriended yours. It wants to help keep us safe, which is sometimes a great thing. It’s when it completely takes over our lives and becomes a crutch for living that it becomes time to push it over and let our higher self take over. 🙂
Hi Jodi, This is beautiful, especially for a Friday. Though I’m usually happy on Friday because I know I’ll get a good break on Saturday, the critic visits me most on this day when it thinks I didn’t do enough during the week. Your letter to yourself is so sweet. My whole body calmed as I read it. Thank you, dear soul, you are an inspiration!
Thank you so much, Lesley! I know what you mean and can definitely relate to your critic visiting you at the end of each week wanting a tally of what’s been accomplished and what hasn’t gotten finished. That’s what makes our letter to ourselves extra important – to recognize this tendency and move into a space of love instead. Hugs!