Your Inner Voice is a Liar

When writing the story of our life we have three options: 1. We can portray ourselves as a victim seeking out sympathy, attention and drama, 2. We can describe ourselves as a hero defeating our woes and challenges and coming out on top, and 3. neither describing ourselves as a victim or a hero but simply stating the facts of the matter. None of these options are necessarily wrong, but they do all tell a story of who we view ourselves as.

Who DO you view yourself as? Do you view yourself as someone weak? Someone in need of affirmations, validation, sympathy and such? Do you view yourself as someone strong? Someone who is worthy of praise and accolades? Do you view yourself as someone who simply is. Neither strong nor weak or maybe both at different times?

There's no wrong answer. But there is an aswer worth considering. Each of us comes with an inner voice who tells us who we are. Often times we believe that inner voice. We take what it says as truth without ever questioning it. And that is who we believe we are. And then there are those in our lives who "know" us and their inner voice and judgments create a version of us that they believe we are.

What if we questioned that inner voice? What if the next time that inner voice says, "You are a complete failure. You should have studied harder for that test." or "You didn't get that promotion because you didn't deserve it. You're an idiot." you stopped and you asked that voice, "Why do you believe that about me?" What would happen?

Odds are your inner voice would respond with something like, "Well, you failed the test. So it's obvious you're stupid and didn't put in the work. The proof is in the failing." Keep questioning it. "Why does failing one test make me stupid or lazy?" "Isn't it possible I failed because I misunderstood the material?" "Or is it possible that I'm not lazy, but this particular time I was simply overworked and burnt out?" "Isn't it possible that I am an incredibly intelligent AND hardworking person who simply failed ONE test?"

We often hear that we are the writers of our own lives. But I want you to consider that we are also the writers of our own reality. Our version of reality exists because we agree with what our inner voice presents to us.

So what happens when we question that inner voice? What happens when we no longer allow ourselves to simply agree with negative self talk and judgments? What happens when the stories we tell stop being those of victims and heroes and start being those of our honest and innermost selves?

I'd make a bet that we'd all be a lot kinder to ourselves and to others. I'd be willing to make a bet the world would be a much better place for all of us.

Stop agreeing with those negative beliefs. Fight back. Question that voice. And learn to love who you really are.

Reshape your reality.