Your Inner Critic Is Not the Truth Teller
I used to think my inner critic was wise. Turns out, it was just loud.
That voice in your head? The one that whispers you're not ready, not enough, not doing it right? That’s not truth. That’s programming. That’s the ghost of conditioning, old shame, someone else's fear wrapped in your tone of voice.
Your inner critic learned its lines a long time ago—before you had the power or perspective to choose something different. And it's loud not because it's right, but because it's rehearsed.
I remember when I used to think that voice was me—that it was telling me the truth. I thought being hard on myself was how I’d grow, stay humble, stay motivated. But really... it was how I stayed small. It was how I kept myself in a cage that wasn’t even mine.
It was so freeing when I realized I could question it. When I stopped treating every self-critical thought like gospel and started seeing it for what it is: a tired narrator, not the truth teller.
Now, when that voice shows up—and it still does—I pause. I ask: Is this helpful? Is this kind? Is this true? And most of the time, it’s not.
There’s another voice inside me now. Softer, but stronger. The one that remembers who I really am. And that voice? That’s the one I listen to.
Journal Prompt:
What is something your inner critic has said to you recently that you accepted without question?
Now ask yourself: Where did this message come from? Whose voice is it really? And what would I say to myself if I were speaking from truth, not fear?
If you need an ear, message me.
If you need a witness, I’m here.
Dee