Do you ever hear that inner voice talking to you?

What does it say?

Oftentimes, when I’m in deep work modes, my inner voice says things like…

     Katie, you’re such a fake.  

     This is definitely not as good as [insert any name here]’s work!

     No one’s going to buy this…it’s not perfect!

****

True story…

Today I’m deep into the work of building out the marketing and sales funnel for my Facebook Groups Rock eCourse.  It’s been in hibernation since I had my daughter and it’s itching to get back out there!

The course soft-launched last Fall and opened up again last month, both times to rave reviews from my students (blush!).  But I haven’t really told anyone about it yet.  Which leads me back to my work today…

So as I’m writing emails for my auto-responders, creating the copy for all the pages needed, diving deep into the guts of the webinar, I hear that little voice start talking…

     Katie, you totally suck.  I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to get this course out!

     Seriously, are you afraid of success?  You keep letting this stuff take way too long.  You’re never going to get this off the ground.

     Your goals are way too big for this business…you’re setting yourself up for failure…and you’ll crumble under the pressure!

And more and more and more until I look up from my computer screen, unable to ignore the increasing volume of these comments.

Does any of this sound familiar?  

Imposter syndrome.

Never good enough.

Everyone else does “it’ better (whatever “it” is).

Look, I’ve done a lot of self-work, so this stuff doesn’t come up a lot…but when it does, it’s strong.  And LOUD.

So, what do you do in moments like this?  

I’ve learned a technique that has worked for me for 3 years now.  And I want to share it with you in hopes that it will completely change this around for you as it has for me.

Disclaimer: this technique doesn’t eradicate your inner voice completely.  But, when applied effectively, you will notice the voice talking a lot less often!

Okay…so here’s the trick when you find yourself buried in a negative inner voice avalanche:

1. STOP: Stop what you’re doing completely.  Stop typing.  Stop writing.  Stop doing whatever you were doing.  

2. MOVE: Physiology is psychology (thank you, Tony Robbins).  Physically get up and move to another place in your office/living room/work space.  Preferably outside (the sun will do wonders) or to one of your “happy” places.  

3. BREATHE: Take 10 deep breaths.  This will force the volume of that inner voice to lower enough so you can start thinking in a realm of common sense.  

4. TALK BACK TO YOURSELF: The inner voice that’s being so nasty to you is Fear.  Personify her and talk back to her.  You have two approaches to choose from:
   • USE LOGIC: this one works best for me because I’m a logical person.  Give yourself facts and figures that prove that you actually are amazing and that you actually do know what you’re talking about and that people actually do get value from what you have to offer.  Bring up testimonials from clients/students, give examples of you kicking butt recently.  Build your case.

   • USE EMOTION: Tell yourself how awesome you are, how much you love yourself, how you’re proud of all the things you’ve done in life, etc. etc.  Conjure up images of you being happy and powerful standing in your own light.

• ULTIMATELY, CHOOSE EFFICIENCY: I know this is going to sound strange, but the ultimate element that forces these negative thoughts into oblivion for me is when I kindly remind myself that having these thoughts are really inefficient.  They don’t get me any closer to where I want to be.  They don’t benefit me at all.  They just make the road to my goal longer and more painful.  So why not avoid these parts of the road altogether, right?  You know you’re going to hit your goal, right?  So, why put extra hazards in the road when you can decide to have a clear, smooth path?  Identify these thoughts as annoying roadblocks that are taking up your precious time and energy…and visually remove them from your path.  

And then…after this reality sinks in…I’m free.  My negative inner voice shuts the hell up.  

I take a few more deep breaths and go back to work.  

We all…and I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US has doubts about our abilities.  We feel timid when doing something new.  We second guess ourselves when we’re in the midst of building our our businesses.

But let me guarantee you this…if you decide to live in your light instead of the shadows of your negative inner voice – even though it takes some extra work to do this – you will have so much more fun along this entrepreneurial journey!!!

So the next time that inner wench decides to get loud, try out this technique and let me know how it works!!